Suzuki R&D Center India Private Limited established the Suzuki e-Micromobility Innovation Lab for Ecosystem (SMILE) at the International Automobile Center of Excellence (iACE) in Gujarat, India. The facility is intended to support the development of versatile micro electric mobility solutions through collaboration with Indian startups and component manufacturers.
SMILE will operate as a co-creation platform linking Japanese electric mobility technologies with ideas developed in India. The initiative is aimed at developing customer-oriented mobility solutions and strengthening collaboration across the domestic electric mobility ecosystem.
The establishment of the lab was announced during the Vibrant Gujarat event held in Rajkot on 11–12 January, where Suzuki also showcased its versatile micro e-mobility platform, referred to as VmeM. An opening ceremony was held on 13 January at the iACE campus in Gandhinagar, attended by Katsuhiro Kato, Director and Executive Vice President of Suzuki Motor Corporation, Masahiro Ikuma, Managing Director of Suzuki R&D Center India, and Maheswar Sahu, Independent Director of Maruti Suzuki India Limited.
SMILE has been set up under a memorandum of understanding for Project VmeM signed between iACE and Suzuki R&D Center India on 24 December 2024. The lab brings together Suzuki’s vehicle manufacturing capabilities and technologies developed by Indian startups, with a focus on adapting micromobility platforms to Indian operating conditions and infrastructure requirements.
The company said the solutions developed at the facility are intended for application across sectors including industry, air cargo, warehousing, municipal services, energy, real estate, manufacturing plants, and agriculture. The initiative is positioned as part of Suzuki’s efforts to deploy electric micromobility solutions that are integrated with daily-use infrastructure in India.
“We are pleased to see the VmeM, designed and developed by Suzuki, introduced in India through Suzuki R&D Center India,” said Katsuhiro Kato, Director and Executive Vice President of Suzuki Motor Corporation. “With the launch of SMILE at iACE, we will work closely with Indian industry, startups, and government stakeholders to drive co-creation on mobility solutions and to promote continuous technological development for global deployment of the VmeM platform,” he added.
The International Automobile Center of Excellence was established in 2015 through a joint initiative of the Government of Gujarat and Maruti Suzuki India Limited. Based in Gujarat, iACE functions as an education and innovation institution for the automotive sector and has provided training to more than 10,000 individuals from over 500 companies and organisations across production technology, mobility systems, and automotive engineering.