Maruti Suzuki to pitch-in Ertiga CNG soon in India

Maruti Suzuki India Limited, the country’s largest passenger car maker, is believed to have developed a CNG kit fitted version of its Ertiga Multi Purpose Vehicle (MPV) for the domestic market. The CNG kit equipped Ertiga models would be offered to the Indian consumers in a dual fuel petrol-CNG option. Further, Maruti Suzuki is looking at a possible market of 1,000 to 1,500 units of Ertiga CNG in the country.

As per reports, Maruti Suzuki India could begin rolling out its new Ertiga CNG models in the next two to three months. The yet-to-be launched green version of the Ertiga MPV won’t have any changes in the interior and exterior departments, and would be just like the present version. However, the boot space could be sacrificed in order to accommodate the CNG cylinder. It is going to be interesting to see how the Maruti Suzuki engineers fit the CNG-kit inside Ertiga, and would there be any affect on the engine’s performance like other CNG powered cars.

Currently, Ertiga is the country’s best selling MPV and also remains among Maruti Suzuki’s top selling models in the Indian auto market. Coming to under-the-hood specifications, the Ertiga MPV is offered in both diesel and petrol powered options in the country. The Ertiga petrol comes fitted with a 1.4 litre K14B K-Series VVT (Variable Valve Timing) power-mill rated with highest power and torque output figures of 94 bhp and 130 Nm, respectively. On other hand, Ertiga diesel trim is powered with a 1.3 litre DDiS (Direct Diesel Injection System) engine, which produces peak power of 89 bhp along with a top torque delivery of 200 Nm.

At present, Maruti Suzuki Ertiga is witnessing some stiff competition from the likes of Renault Duster and Mahindra Quanto in the utility vehicle segment of the Indian auto market. Both Duster and Quanto are offered without CNG option at the moment, which explains Maruti Suzuki’s intentions of tapping into this void with its upcoming Ertiga model. Industries sources suggest that the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga CNG version could be at least Rs. 40,000 more expensive than its current price. The popular MPV is offered to car buyers within a price band of Rs. 6 lakh to Rs. 8.8 lakh in the country.