India, Aug. 26 -- Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. has started production of its first electric vehicle at its Hansalpur facility in Gujarat, with exports firmly in sight.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday flagged off Maruti Suzuki's first electric vehicle e-Vitara from the Hansalpur manufacturing facility in Gujarat. The made-in-India Maruti e-Vitara will be exported to more than 100 countries, including Japan.

Modi also inaugurated the lithium-ion battery manufacturing facility by Suzuki, Toshiba, and Denso, supporting hybrid and electric vehicle battery production.

Japan's Suzuki Motor will invest 700 billion rupees ($8 billion) in India over the next five to six years, the automaker's chief said on Tuesday, to increase production, la...