Maruti Suzuki will add three to four models to its CNG portfolio and currently, models like Swift, Vitara Brezza, Baleno and Ciaz considered
Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL) is planning to launch a host of new CNG vehicles in the domestic market in the near future. In FY2021, the largest carmaker in the country registered 1,57,954 unit sales and it attributed to 12.20 per cent of the total volumes. The brand has been selling the S-CNG vehicles for more than a decade and it has certainly reaped benefits.
In an interview, Shashank Srivastava, Executive Director, Sales and Marketing, MSIL claimed, “People are no longer worried about loss of power, engine misfiring or the car not being able to climb an incline on CNG,”. He further conceded that customers want to see CNG offered in the Vitara Brezza compact SUV, Swift compact hatchback, Baleno premium hatch and Ciaz midsize sedan.
MSIL is examining the possibilities of offering factory-fitted CNG variants in these vehicles and a decision will be made. According to Srivastava, Maruti Suzuki will add “another three-four models in our portfolio equipped with CNG,” and currently, the S-CNG equipped Wagon R is the best-seller while Alto, Eeco, Ertiga, S-Presso, Tour S and Tour M are also available with CNG.
The exorbitant increase in fuel prices has forced customers to rethink the buying process of a passenger vehicle and to make matters worse, the prices of the vehicles are also increasing due to various reasons. While electrification is the apparent way forwards, it has not appealed to the mass market buyers as the segment is only fledgling across the board.
Thus, hybrid and CNG vehicles are the conceivable options moving into the near future, and Maruti Suzuki wants to make the most out of the opportunity. The CNG network has steadily expanded in India over the last couple of years – from 1,300 stations to 3,500 filling stations. By the middle of this decade, a target of 6,000 stations has been set.
It is predicted to reach 10,000 stations by 2030. While the performance drop will be obvious, the CNG vehicles have the advantage of offering high efficiency per kg and the fuel is cheap compared to petrol and diesel.