Assessing the Prospects for Local Assembly of the Suzuki eVitara, Launching in 2026

KatadataOTO – The Suzuki eVitara will be the first electric car from the S-badged manufacturer in Indonesia. Confirmed to launch in 2026, the manufacturer stated that the units will initially be imported as Completely Built Up (CBU).

Three countries produce the Suzuki eVitara: Japan, India, and Europe. It is likely that the eVitara in Indonesia will be imported from Japan or India, which already have right-hand drive configurations.

“CBU first. This is also to see the volume, consumer response, and so on,” said Shodiq Wicaksono, Managing Director of PT Suzuki Indomobil Motor (SIM), when met in Tangerang some time ago.

Many factors are considered by the manufacturer before locally assembling a model. One of them is sales volume.

Photo : KatadataOTO

Considering the increasingly fierce competition in the electrification segment due to the presence of Chinese brands, Suzuki will first observe the market conditions.

“I think with the current target, it's still possible (for the eVitara to compete in Indonesia),” he said.

He emphasized that Suzuki will continue to provide various other electrification options for consumers. Therefore, the eVitara will only be one of the options.

However, on the other hand, the Suzuki eVitara still has the potential to be locally assembled. Considering its twin, the Toyota Urban Cruiser EV, which uses the same base as the eVitara, is planned for domestic production.