Maruti Suzuki plans to get into CNG trims

Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) plans to get into CNG trims across its product range as it remains bullish over the long-term prospects of the segment amid an increase in fuel prices and drop in diesel car sales, according to a senior company official.

The company that sold around 1.62 lakh CNG cars last fiscal year also counts on the rapid expansion of CNG dispensing outlets across the country to bring in more CNG products. 

“In 2021-22, we expect to sell around 3 lakh CNG units. It is when many of our models do not have a CNG option right now. Out of the 15 brands we sell, the CNG option is available in just seven models. We are trying to bring CNG options in the rest of the portfolio,” MSI Senior Executive Director Shashank Srivastava said in an interaction. 

Around 1.9 lakh units with CNG were sold last fiscal year, with MSI alone retailing over 1.6 lakh units. Srivastava stated that its CNG sales would further increase in the coming years with an enhanced product range.

He also said that the rise in registration and road taxes etc., and other regulatory requirements, over the last few years have led to a gradual increase in the prices of cars. 

MSI currently offers CNG trims in Alto,  WagonR, Ertiga, Super Carry, S-presso, Eeco. The company is now gearing up to launch a CNG version of the recently introduced all-new Celerio. Srivastava stated that CNG vehicle sales were growing as new cities were added to the CNG gas distribution network.

He also said that “It had touched 293 cities now from 143 locations three years ago. Next year, it may increase to over 330 cities”. There were 1,400 filling stations; now, the figure has crossed the 3,300 mark and is slated to touch the 8,700 marks in the next 1.5 years. 

By 2025, the figure will touch the 10,000 marks as even the government is s supporting CNG because it lowers the country’s oil import bill, as noted by Srivastava. 

Over the last few years, MSI has observed a growth in CNG car sales. It sold 74,000 units in 2016-17; around 1 lakh units in 2018-19; 1.05 lakh units in 2019-20; and 1.62 lakh units in 2020-21. 

He also noted that the share of diesel vehicles was coming down every month and is now less than 17 per cent of the overall PV sales. “In hatchbacks and sedans, it is less than 2 per cent. It is just in the mid SUV segment that there is still some traction.

There is very little difference in petrol and diesel fuel prices right now, so people are shifting towards petrol and CNG cars,” Srivastava said.

The company expects the situation to remain like that in the future as well, he added. “In 2013-14 diesel cars accounted for 60 per cent of the overall sales, now it has come down to less than 17 per cent. So we don’t have much interest in diesel as of now due to this decline in sales,” he noted. 

The company expects the situation to remain like that in the future as well, he added. “In 2013-14 diesel cars accounted for 60 per cent of the overall sales, now it has come down to less than 17 per cent. 

So we don’t have much interest in diesel as of now due to this decline in sales,” he noted. MSI’s entire model range is powered by BS-VI compliant 1 litre, 1.2 litre, 1.5-litre gasoline engines.