Maruti Suzuki India (MSIL) on Wednesday said it has sold over 1.57 lakh factory-fitted S-CNG vehicles in the fiscal year 2020-21.

This is the highest-ever S-CNG car sales by the company, it said in a statement. MSIL offers a wide range of factory-fitted CNG cars including Alto, Celerio, Wagon-R, S-Presso, Eeco, Ertiga, Tour S and Super Carry.

“We see CNG as a technology that has set a new benchmark in green fuel mobility. Maruti Suzuki offers its customers the widest options of factory-fitted CNG-powered cars. At the same time, CNG is becoming one of the most preferred alternative fuels due to its economic cost of running (as compared with the high prices of petrol and diesel) and improved CNG filling infrastructure," Shashank Srivastava, Executive Director (Marketing & Sales), MSIL said.

With the government’s clear focus on expansion of CNG outlets in the country, the company was confident of greater acceptance of factory-fitted CNG vehicles, even in challenging times, he said.

Benefits

Some of the benefits of the S-CNG vehicles include intelligent injection system that provides an optimum air-fuel ratio during combustion, thereby ensuring optimal and consistent performance along with high fuel efficiency; and re-tuned chassis suspension and braking system.

From safety aspects, Maruti Suzuki S-CNG vehicles are evaluated and tested for crash-worthiness and durability with entire CNG System in place. It puts stainless steel pipes and joints with ferrule joints for corrosion resistance and a leak-proof design to the entire CNG system, the company explained.

The CNG vehicles also have warranty benefits which are extendable up to five years.

The company said the S-CNG vehicle range is also aligned to the government’s vision to reduce oil import. The government aims to enhance the share of natural gas in the energy basket of the country from 6.2 per cent now to 15 per cent by 2030. The company’s S-CNG technology will play a critical role in democratising green cars in the country, it said.

The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and the gas industry are also working on the expansion of CNG stations across the country. Despite a complete lockdown in the initial months, more than 700 stations have been added in last one year alone, a growth of more than 50 per cent.

This rate of network expansion will aid the demand for CNG vehicles. At present, there are more than 2,800 CNG stations across the country, which are likely to cross 10,000 numbers over the next seven-eight years.

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