Toyota Kirloskar Motor to invest Rs 3,300 cr to set up 3rd plant in Karnataka
Bengaluru: Toyota Kirloskar Motor on Tuesday announced plans to invest Rs 3,300 crore to set up its third plant at Bidadi in Karnataka.
The new unit, which will commence production by 2026, will have an annual capacity of 1 lakh units in two shifts.
It will come up at the company's existing facility at Bidadi, near here where it currently has two units with a combined installed production capacity of up to 3.42 lakh units annually.
The new plant, apart from producing multi-utility vehicle Innova HyCross, will be ''future ready'' to roll out models spanning across different fuel technologies, Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) Executive Vice President & Country Head Vikram Gulati told PTI.
''I believe, we are as a company future-ready, both in terms of access to technology, access to well-accepted products across various powertrains as also access to the ability to bring these products to market,'' he said.
He further said in the industry, it doesn't take too much for the same line or some lines to be made ready for introducing any kind of powertrains.
''It does take a bit of doing but it's not really a huge barrier, in my opinion. So that that makes us ready and flexible in terms of any of the powertrains going forward. And I'm sure the new plant is going to be much more advanced and much more future ready,'' Gulati said when asked if the third plant will have the provision for producing new technology vehicles such as electric vehicles.
He, however, said it is too early to give any specifics.
The third plant will create 2,000 jobs, adding to the current 11,200 strong workforce across the existing two plants, he added.
The company has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Karnataka government regarding the fresh investment to set up the third plant coinciding with its 25th year of operations in India.
''As a future-ready mobility company, we are certain that today's significant MoU with the Karnataka government for the new plant will positively contribute through consequent employment generation and expand adoption of advanced clean technologies,'' TKM Managing Director and CEO Masakazu Yoshimura said at the event.
He further said TKM would continue to work with the government to develop a world-class local system that promises best solutions for India by focusing in improving energy security, promoting economic growth and achieving carbon neutrality.
In a statement, Toyota CEO Asia Region Masahiko Maeda said, ''The Indian market has always been of great importance of us. We are confident that the new investments in India, we will further elevate TKM's role in our global vision for a more promising future by creating sustainable mobility solutions that enrich people's lives worldwide.'' Last year, Toyota group firms comprising TKM and Toyota Kirloskar Auto Parts had signed an MoU with Karnataka government to invest Rs 4,100 crore to enhance electrification, fast paced shift towards greener technologies and deeper cut in CO2 emissions.
So far Totoya has invested a total of Rs 16,000 crore in India on various activities.
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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
