Small CNG Cars Like Swift Coming Soon, Says Maruti Director
After unveiling Swift Hybrid at the Auto Expo 2020, Maruti will soon launch Swift CNG in India. The Executive Director-Marketing and Sales Maruti Suzuki, Shashank Srivastava, said in an interview that the company intends to expand its network to smaller rural pockets.
Additionally, they also plan to push CNG vehicle sales across the country.
Additionally, Srivastava mentioned that Maruti would have at least one CNG variant for each of its smaller cars. The company has a target of increasing its CNG sales to up to 1,55,000 vehicles by the end of this fiscal year.
Back in 2009, Maruti introduced its factory-fitted CNG cars. Already expensive diesel cars have become more costly with new BS6 compliant engines.
At present, people are looking for an alternative that could serve the purpose of a better fuel-efficient car. On the other hand, hybrid vehicles and electric vehicles are way too expensive for the masses. Therefore the low-budget customers are left with CNG equipped vehicles only.
There are a significant number of people who opt for retrofit CNG cars to have improved fuel efficiency; This indicates the demand for CNG cars in India.
However, Maruti is offering eight cars with factory-fitted CNG kits. Unfortunately, the CNG variant of Maruti Swift is still not in the market.
Here is the list of Maruti Suzuki CNG Cars
- Maruti Suzuki WagonR
- Maruti Suzuki Alto
- Maruti Suzuki Alto K10
- Maruti Suzuki Ertiga
- Maruti Suzuki S-Presso
- Maruti Suzuki Celerio
- Maruti Suzuki Eeco
- Maruti Suzuki Dzire Tour S
Maruti Swift CNG launch date and price
Maruti Suzuki Swift will soon join the list of CNG cars in India. The company has not announced the price or launch date of the vehicle.
Nevertheless, there will be a hike of around Rs 50,000-60,000 in a petrol variant, which will still be far less expensive than diesel variants. Maruti can introduce the Swift CNG either in the base version LXi or in the mid-variant VXi.
There is a high chance of the Maruti Swift CNG to launch in the VXi variant because Rs. 5 to 6 lakh range is already crowded with the company’s CNG cars.
Furthermore, with an ex-showroom price tag of Rs. 6.5 lakh, the Maruti Swift CNG will compete directly with the likes of Hyundai Grand i10 Nios CNG.
National market, competitors and Government’s role
Maruti Swift’s rival Hyundai Grand i10, as well as Hyundai Grand i10 Nios, are already available in the CNG variant. Also, with cars like the Hyundai Aura, Santro, and i10 grand Nios, Hyundai is the most prominent national competitor for Maruti.
One of the major problems why people avoid buying a CNG variant car is the scarcity of CNG stations in the country. There are only 1700 CNG stations in the country, and nobody likes it standing in a queue for hours just to get your fuel re-filled. However, the Government of India plans to build 10,000 gas stations by the year 2030.
Maruti is one of the best selling auto brands in India, and Maruti Swift is an iconic car by the company. However, right now, Maruti is struggling in the industry. We hope Maruti Suzuki Swift CNG can help revive the lost edge of the company in the market.
