Maruti Suzuki Smaller Cars To Get CNG; Hybrid & Electric For Bigger Cars
Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) had announced that it will discontinue diesel cars once the new BS6 emission norms will come into effect – i.e. 1st April, 2020. Now, the Indo-Japanese carmaker said that if the demand increases, it will continue to offer diesel engine on the bigger cars. In fact, the company will also use electric powertrains and hybrid technology for the bigger vehicles. The smaller cars, on the other hand, will receive CNG fuel option. Read – Maruti Suzuki XL6 Variants Explained
Currently, the CNG models contribute around 5% in the total sales of the company. In fiscal year 2019-20, Maruti Suzuki aims to sell 150,000 units of CNG vehicles from 74,000 units in financial year 2016-17. The carmaker expects that CNG distribution infrastructure will increase in the next 1-3 years.
CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) is greener, more efficient and less expensive fuel than gasoline/petrol. It also minimizes harmful carbon deposits during combustion. Maruti Suzuki believes that the almost 30-40% of the total passenger vehicles will come with CNG fuel. Read – Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza Petrol Launch Details Revealed
The Indo-Japanese carmaker is currently offering CNG kit on its 6 popular models, namely, Ertiga MPV, WagonR hatchback, Alto and Alto K10, Celerio hatchback and Eeco MPV. Recently, the government has increased the oil and gas bidding round from two times to three times a year. This decision will boost up the CNG network from the existing 1,700 stations to 10,000 by 2030.