India’s largest carmaker, Maruti Suzuki is working on increasing its CNG lineup by introducing several new products in the next couple of years. The company will introduce factory-fitted CNG kits on multiple models.
Maruti Suzuki is currently offering factory-fitted CNG Kits with six passenger vehicles including WagonR, Celerio, S-Presso, Ertiga, Alto 800 and Eeco. The next in list of upcoming Maruti CNG cars is the Dzire sub-4 meter sedan. In fact, testing of the Maruti Dzire CNG has already been started in India.
Maruti Suzuki is looking at alternate fuel options to make up for the loss of diesel powertrans. MSIL had announced to completely cease diesel engine production on the arrival of the stringent BS6 emission norms in April 2020. Not just CNG, MSIL is planning to give stronger hybrid engines to its product lineup.
CNG powertrains lack power and punch of a diesel or a pertol engine; however, it offers significantly higher fuel efficiency. Adding to it, the running cost of CNG powered cars are significantly lower than that of petrol and diesel powered cars. Buyers are also opting for CNG cars over regular petrol & diesel cars. Despite COVID-19 pandemic, MSIL sold 1.58 lakh CNG cars in India in 2020.
If reports are to be believed, MSIL is planning to produce around 2.5 lakh CNG cars this financial year. The Dzire CNG will be launched in the next few months. It is also expected that Maruti Suzuki Swift could also receive a CNG variant in the near future. Maruti Suzuki’s CNG cars are equipped with Dual Interdependent ECUs, and a change-over switch with auto-mode for instant switch between the fuels.
The Maruti Dzire CNG will be positioned against the Hyundai Aura CNG. Tata Motors is also planning to introduce the CNG version of the Tigor subcompact sedan. In 2020, MSIL had introduced the Dzire facelift with a new 1.2L Dualjet K12C petrol engine that produces 90bhp of power. The engine is calibrated with cooled EGR system, higher compression ratio and piston cooling jet. The compact sedan continues to come with a 5-speed manual and an AMT gearbox options. Its manual version delivers a segment-leading mileage of 23.26kmpl and the AGS model promises 24.12kmpl. Features such as hill hold assist and ESP (electronic stability program) are reserved for the AMT variants
