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Cars running on CNG are gaining significant traction in India, with one in every three Maruti Suzuki cars sold during the year ended March supporting this fuel. A variety of factors, such as a lower cost of ownership, expanding CNG refuelling infrastructure and a wider range of models, are behind the rising popularity of this cleaner fuel.
India’s largest car maker Maruti Suzuki sold around 6.2 lakh CNG-powered passenger vehicles in the year, representing a growth of 28%, said Partho Banerjee, senior executive officer for Marketing and Sales at Maruti Suzuki India.
At the beginning of the previous financial year, the automaker had set a target of selling over 6 lakh CNG vehicles. In all, the company sold a total of 1.76 million passenger vehicles in the domestic market.
India’s passenger vehicle market is undergoing a significant transformation, driven by higher petrol and diesel prices that are driving cost-conscious consumers toward CNG-powered vehicles. This shift is further amplified by the slower-than-expected adoption of electric vehicles, which continue to face challenges such as high upfront costs and an underdeveloped charging infrastructure.
As part of its strategy for reducing its carbon footprint, Maruti Suzuki has adopted a multi-fuel approach and has been aggressively pushing vehicles that run on CNG, which is estimated to have 20-30% lower carbon emission compared to petrol.
Maruti Suzuki introduced its first factory-fitted CNG in its popular hatchback Wagon R back in 2010. This foresight paid off, especially after they shifted away from diesel in 2020, leading to a rapid expansion of their CNG lineup. Now, the company offers CNG variants in most models, from the Alto to the Grand Vitara, barring only the Jimny, Ignis, and Invicto.
Maruti Suzuki is India’s biggest car maker, followed by Tata Motors, Hyundai Motors India and Toyota Kirloskar Motor. Tata Motors and Hyundai are also witnessing significant traction in the sales of their CNG vehicles.
The introduction of an innovative dual-CNG-cylinder technology has been instrumental in increasing CNG penetration as it maximizes boot space.
Apart from CNG, Maruti Suzuki is focusing on hybrid technology. Banerjee said sales of Maruti Suzuki’s strong hybrid vehicles rose 27% on year during the financial year to 20,672 units. The penetration of strong hybrid vehicles in its total sales is at around 2.4%. Maruti Suzuki offers strong hybrid technology in Grand Vitara and Invicto.
Reflecting the robust uptake of CNG cars in the cost-conscious Indian market, the largest contributor to Maruti Suzki’s powertrain mix by the end of the decade is expected to be CNG models, including compressed biogas, with a share of 35%.
Meanwhile, Maruti Suzuki is set to roll out its first battery electric vehicle – e Vitara – in the market this year. The e Vitara has been designed for the global markets with the aim of using India as the key manufacturing and export base for its electric vehicles. The model will be shipped to Japan and Europe with a Suzuki badge, and some of the EVs made by Maruti Suzuki will also sport a Toyota badge in India and globally.
When asked which technology would Maruti Suzuki push aggressively going forward, Banerjee said: “We need to offer all the technologies to our customers. Let the customer select. So, be it the EV, be it the strong hybrid, be it the CNG, we are going to have a play in all the technologies.”
CNG often offers lower ownership costs, and while EVs can too, the ideal choice really depends on individual customer needs, he added.
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