Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma met Takashi Nakajima, President and Chief Executive Officer of Honda Cars India, at the Chief Minister's Office on March 15, 2026, to discuss Honda's expansion into electric vehicle manufacturing in the state. The meeting centred on plans to produce Honda's first electric vehicle model, the Honda zero Alpha, at the company's Tapukara plant later this year. Officials outlined a timeline for the start of manufacturing and discussed the plant's role in the company's domestic electric vehicle (EV) strategy.

The initiative involves an investment of Rs 12 billion (bn) and was presented as aligning with the state's broader industrial objectives and the central government's Make in India for the World campaign. The Chief Minister conveyed that the project was invited as part of preparations for the Rising Rajasthan Global Investment Summit and followed discussions during a visit to Japan in September 2024. State officials framed the move as part of an effort to localise supply chains and boost manufacturing capacity for green mobility.

Sharma described the Tapukara facility as set to serve as the hub for the new production line and said the move would mark a shift towards environmentally friendly transport manufacturing in the state's industrial base. The government indicated that the programme is expected to catalyse ancillary investment and development of supporting industries in the region. Plans discussed included workforce training and local vendor development to support vehicle assembly and component sourcing.

The state executive emphasised that the start of EV production would create new employment opportunities for young people and provide renewed momentum to industrial development across Rajasthan. Officials linked the outcome to policy initiatives under the double-engine government and to efforts to position the state as a destination for clean-technology manufacturing. Production is scheduled to begin later this year, with further operational details to be finalised between the company and state authorities.