India’s largest automobile manufacturer – Maruti Suzuki India is working on CNG variants of the popular models. As Maruti Suzuki does not offer any diesel engine option in the Indian market, the new CNG variants will help the leading manufacturer to target a wider audience.
As per a report on ETAuto, Maruti Suzuki will launch the CNG variants of the Swift, Dzire and the Vitara Brezza. The launch is expected to happen before January 2022. Maruti Suzuki already offers the CNG variants of the Alto, S-Presso, Celerio, WagonR, Ertiga, Eeco and Dzire.
A leaked document suggests that the new Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza CNG will be powered by the same 1.5-litre petrol engine. It will generate a maximum power of 91 Bhp and a peak torque of 122 Nm. With petrol, the engine produces a maximum of around 103 Bhp and 138 Nm of peak torque. The CNG variant of the Vitara Brezza will not be available with an automatic transmission.
Also read: 4-generation Maruti Suzuki Swift to launch in 2022: What it”ll look like
Dual ECUs
With the CNG variants, Maruti Suzuki will offer interdependent ECUs and an intelligent fuel injection system. The dual ECU will allow the engine to extract maximum fuel efficiency. Maruti Suzuki will launch the Vitara Brezza in the VXI variant that gets a price tag of Rs 8.56 lakh, ex-showroom. With the addition of the CNG, the cost will rise by about Rs 80,000 to Rs 90,000.
Even CNG variants of the Swift and the Dzire will continue to use the same 1.2-litre DualJet K12C engine. With the addition of CNG, this engine will produce a maximum power of 70 Bhp and a peak torque of 95 Nm. With the launch of the CNG compliant variants, Maruti Suzuki will be the only manufacturer to offer dual fuel options in the segment.
Maruti Suzuki to focus on CNG
Maruti Suzuki will focus on the sales of CNG-powered vehicles in the future, especially the entry-level models. As the price of petrol and diesel fuel is rising and has breached the Rs 100 per litre mark in many states and union territories, the manufacturer will focus to push the sales of the CNG vehicles.
Maruti Suzuki announced in June 2021 that it plans to manufacture 2.5 lakh units of CNG vehicles this fiscal year, which is about a 60% increase over FY21.
Shashank Srivastava, executive director, Maruti Suzuki, told ET – “We have seen an exponential increase in demand for CNG vehicles, first of all, because of the rise in the price of petrol and diesel. Secondly, the availability of CNG itself has improved, both geographically as well as in absolute numbers, making it emerge as a viable option for consumers,”
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