Climate Policy Engagement Analysis
Climate Policy Engagement Overview: Suzuki appears to have broadly negative engagement with climate policy streams globally. Despite positive top-line messaging on climate policy, since 2023, the company appears unsupportive of the electrification of light-duty transportation and opposes regulatory efforts to increase the stringency of emission standards for vehicles in India.
Top-line Messaging on Climate Policy: Suzuki has generally positive top-line messaging on climate policy and regulation. In its 2024 Sustainability report published in October 2024, Suzuki supported GHG emissions reduction in line with 2℃, carbon neutrality target for Europe, India, and Japan. In the same report, it supported the goals of the Paris Agreement while it did not express a clear position on the need for the climate change regulation.
Engagement with Climate-Related Regulations: Suzuki had mostly negative engagement on climate policies globally. Suzuki also appeared to support more stringent Indian CAFE standards, advocating against carry-over credits that may weaken the stringency of the rule in a February 2024 BusinessLine article. However, Suzuki reportedly appeared to advocate for weaker India fuel efficiency norms for small cars in June and July 2025. In June 2025, Bloomberg reported that Suzuki appeared to advocate for hybrids, ethanol-blend models and gas-powered cars to get emission credit incentives comparable to those given to electric vehicles. A Renewable Matter article published in August 2023 reported that Suzuki joined an initiative of the Resource Efficiency Circular Economy Industry Coalition (RECEIC) to take action and introduce sustainable solutions for our planet's well-being and future.
Positioning on Energy Transition: Suzuki appears unsupportive of the electrification of light duty transport and the transition of the energy mix. In a statement reported in a May 2023 Bloomberg article, Suzuki CEO Toshihiro Suzuki appeared to be unsupportive of the full electrification of light duty transport in India, stating that the world is “a little too focused on electric vehicles.” Suzuki’s CEO advocated for a technology-neutral approach to the decarbonization of light-duty vehicles over complete electrification, stating that “we are not only emphasizing on EVs but we are working towards reducing CO2 via a multi-pathway strategy” in a January 2025 evo article. In a March 2024 ET Auto article, he questioned whether EVs alone could meet decarbonization goals, advocating instead for multi-pathway approaches tailored to particular regions and situations. In August 2025, The Standard reported that Suzuki Australia generally advocated for a longer-term role for (internal combustion engine) ICE-powered hybrids over rapid electrification.
In a July 2024 DriveSpark article, Maruti Suzuki Chairman, RC Bhargava, supported ICE-powered hybrids over rapid electrification in India, stating that hybrids emit less carbon than EVs due to the country’s heavy reliance on coal-generated electricity. In a June 2024 The Hindu article, a Suzuki representative appeared to promote technology-neutral means of decarbonizing road transport. An August 2024 Reuters article suggested that Maruti Suzuki had advocated in support of an Uttar Pradesh government proposal to reduce registration taxes for ICE powered hybrids purchases in the region. In a January 2024 Autocar Professional article, the CTO of Maruti Suzuki advocated for a longer-term role for ICE and compressed natural gas (CNG)-powered vehicles over full electrification while stating that "EVs will grow but a substantial portion will still be catered by ICE, alternate fuels and (hybrid electric vehicles) HEVs."
Industry Association Governance: Suzuki has partially disclosed its membership to industry associations on its Sustainability Report 2024, however, it has not published a review of its industry association memberships and climate policy engagement. The company is a member of multiple trade associations negatively engaged on climate change policy globally. Suzuki’s CEO is currently Vice-Chair of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA) which has mostly negative engagement on climate policy in Japan and globally. In the US, Suzuki is a member of the US Chamber of Commerce and Alliance for Automotive Innovation, which have broadly negative engagement on US climate policy. Suzuki is also a member of the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers in India and the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries in Australia, all of which have evidence of negative engagement with climate policy for light-duty vehicles in their respective regions.
InfluenceMap collects and assesses evidence of corporate climate policy engagement on a weekly basis, depending on the availability of information from each specific data source (for more information see our methodology). While this analysis flows through to the company’s scores each week, the summary above is updated periodically. This summary was last updated in Q3 (July–September) 2025.