Toyota to open R&D center in Bengaluru, India

Toyota is establishing its first research and development (R&D) center in India, highlighting the country's growing importance in its operations. The center will be located in Bengaluru, close to Toyota Kirloskar Motor’s factory. It will start with around 200 employees and plans to expand to about 1,000 engineers by 2027. This move is part of Toyota's strategy to make India a hub for clean technologies. Last year, the company reorganized its operations in India to focus on this goal. Although Toyota currently sells gasoline and hybrid vehicles in India, it has not yet introduced any plug-in electric vehicles. Toyota is working closely with Suzuki Motor Corp. as part of their partnership. The new R&D center will analyze Suzuki’s engineering operations in India, which employs around 3,000 engineers. This collaboration aims to boost both companies' presence in the Indian and global electric vehicle markets. The Bengaluru facility will be Toyota's third R&D center in the Asia-Pacific region, following previous investments in China and Thailand. While it will initially cater to India, there is potential for it to evolve into a global hub, similar to Mercedes-Benz’s R&D center in Bengaluru. Toyota had previously considered setting up an R&D center in India in 2010 but did not move forward. With the recent passing of Suzuki's long-time leader, the collaboration is seen as crucial for both companies to maintain their relevance in a competitive market.