Maruti Suzuki CNG Cars Portfolio: Company To Introduce More CNG-Powered Small Cars In India

Maruti Suzuki is said to be looking at expanding its CNG-powered vehicle lineup in India in the near future. The company could introduce its S-CNG technology on its smaller cars in the Indian market.

Maruti CNG Cars Portfolio Expansion In India: Could Look At Introducing More CNG-Powered Small Cars Instead Of BS6-Diesel Units

Maruti Suzuki officials stated that introducing CNG technology on small cars makes more economical value than diesel units. The company stated that for a market which is slowly shifting towards petrol models, introducing a BS6-compliant diesel unit makes no logic in terms of economical viability.

Maruti CNG Cars Portfolio Expansion In India: Could Look At Introducing More CNG-Powered Small Cars Instead Of BS6-Diesel Units

Speaking to PTI in an interview, Shashank Srivastava, Executive Director Sales & Marketing, MSIL, stated,

"There is absolutely no logic in developing a small diesel engine. It is less than 5 per cent in the hatchback segment and has reduced considerably in sedans and entry-level SUV segments as economics does not support it."

Maruti CNG Cars Portfolio Expansion In India: Could Look At Introducing More CNG-Powered Small Cars Instead Of BS6-Diesel Units

Instead, the company is looking at expanding its CNG portfolio in India. The small cars offered by Maruti Suzuki are currently powered by just petrol engines. The addition of CNG technology on its smaller cars makes more sense, compared to diesel units.

Srivastava added, "CNG segment grew last fiscal by 7 per cent while the overall passenger vehicle industry declined by 18 per cent." He further went on, stating, "We plan to further enhance the CNG portfolio in the coming days."

Maruti CNG Cars Portfolio Expansion In India: Could Look At Introducing More CNG-Powered Small Cars Instead Of BS6-Diesel Units

The company has set for itself an ambitious target of selling ten lakh cars with green technology (CNG and petrol-hybrid) in the next couple of years. The expansion of its CNG portfolio will definitely help Maruti achieve this goal as well.

The company currently offers the Alto, Celerio, S-Presso, WagonR and the Ertiga under its CNG-powered portfolio. Maruti Suzuki could introduce more models to this range in the near future as well.

Maruti CNG Cars Portfolio Expansion In India: Could Look At Introducing More CNG-Powered Small Cars Instead Of BS6-Diesel Units

Coming to diesel-powered models, Maruti Suzuki states that it is looking at introducing BS6-compliant diesel engines on some of its larger models on sale in the Indian market. However, Maruti Suzuki is yet to make an official decision on it.

Talking about BS6 diesel engines, Srivastava, stated, "If we find there are enough people in that category then we can always look at developing a bigger BS-VI diesel engine. The company is yet to make a decision regarding the matter."

Maruti CNG Cars Portfolio Expansion In India: Could Look At Introducing More CNG-Powered Small Cars Instead Of BS6-Diesel Units

Thoughts On Maruti Suzuki Expanding Its CNG Portfolio In India In The Future

Maruti Suzuki is one of the few car manufacturers in India, which offer factory-fitted CNG technology on multiple products in its lineup. With the CNG market in India steadily growing, Maruti does feel it makes sense to introduce new vehicles in this segment, bringing in additional volumes going forward.

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Read more on: #maruti suzuki
Article Published On: Monday, July 20, 2020, 10:42 [IST]
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