TOKYO -- Japan's Suzuki Motor said Friday it aims to cut development times for new models in half as it seeks to catch up with rapid changes in the automotive industry led by China.

"This is not just about improving efficiency or cutting costs," President Toshihiro Suzuki told a technology strategy briefing. "As we consider what we need to do in Japan to keep pace with the speed of Chinese automakers, I believe we need to take steps to speed things up." For vehicles with standardized platforms, Suzuki aims to shorten the heretofore development period from 40 to 48 months to 24 months in a 2030 timeframe.

Suzuki will change the way it develops vehicles, its leader explained, shifting from a sequential process to simultaneous and parallel development, with planning, design, production, quality and procurement working toward the same goal from the outset.

"With not only cars but many other areas moving at an increasingly rapid pace due to digitalization and AI ... I think we had reached a point where we had to ask ourselves whether we could keep doing things the same way as before," the president said.

"With not only cars but many other areas moving at an increasingly rapid pace due to digitalization and AI ... I think we had reached a point where we had to ask ourselves whether we could keep doing things the same way as before," the president said.

In addition to shorter development times, Suzuki aims to improve development efficiency by 30% and increase production efficiency by 50%. dia, an important global production hub and the company's largest market, Suzuki would "continue to strengthen our production capacity," Suzuki said. The company aims to increase its annual production capacity in India to 4 million vehicles from the fiscal year ending March 2031 onwards. Last year, it opened a plant in Kharkoda, in the state of Haryana, as its fourth production facility in India.

Compressed natural gas or CNG, vehicles account for about 40% of its Indian subsidiary Maruti Suzuki's sales in India. "Current CNG vehicles use a bi-fuel system combining gasoline and CNG for driving range, but we are studying a simpler mono-fuel system running on CNG alone," said Chief Technology Officer Katsuhiro Kato.

Compressed natural gas or CNG, vehicles account for about 40% of its Indian subsidiary Maruti Suzuki's sales in India. "Current CNG vehicles use a bi-fuel system combining gasoline and CNG for driving range, but we are studying a simpler mono-fuel system running on CNG alone," said Chief Technology Officer Katsuhiro Kato.

Suzuki is also engaged in the biogas business dia, where three plants have started operating over the past year. In Japan, the company has long been strong in minicars and is preparing to launch its first electric kei passenger car, the e-Sky this fall. With competition in the subsector intensifying, including the entry of China's BYD this year, Suzuki described its model as "the 'just right' EV that was reached by addressing how customers use cars in their daily lives and the challenges they face, which can only be understood through Suzuki's expertise in making and refining kei cars." "Technology is shared. Products are regionally optimized. This is our mindset, and this is how Suzuki competes," President Suzuki said.

In Japan, the company has long been strong in minicars and is preparing to launch its first electric kei passenger car, the e-Sky this fall. With competition in the subsector intensifying, including the entry of China's BYD this year, Suzuki described its model as "the 'just right' EV that was reached by addressing how customers use cars in their daily lives and the challenges they face, which can only be understood through Suzuki's expertise in making and refining kei cars." "Technology is shared. Products are regionally optimized. This is our mindset, and this is how Suzuki competes," President Suzuki said.