Maruti to launch Ertiga CNG next week?

05/06/2013 - 19:50 | ,   | Nithyanandh K

Barring the sales downswing blamed on the sluggish market in recent months the Maruti Ertiga is a sensation in India and Indonesia, giving Suzuki enviable presence in a new segment. It has also taught Maruti that by sticking to its core values, it can sell a car in segments outside its comfort zone.

While production of the car is being boosted in Indonesia, the slowdown of the auto market and the increase in diesel prices have impacted the sales of the compact crossover MPV in India.

Other diesel Marutis like the Swift and the Swift Dzire also have registered a noticeable decrease in their monthly tally. Overall, India's largest passenger car maker has witnessed a year-on-year decline in the sales by 13% this May, having sold 77,821 cars.

Maruti Ertiga chillin' in the beach
The CNG Version of the Ertiga will help combat rising diesel prices in regions where CNG is dispensed.

In order to counteract the rising diesel prices, Maruti Suzuki is resorting to CNG fuel. Financial Express reports that the company is gearing up to launch the CNG version of the Ertiga in a week's time.

The Maruti Ertiga CNG would be available on the Lxi and Vxi trims and would be costlier than the respective petrol variants by around Rs. 30,000, the Financial Express report adds.

The CNG option makes the Ertiga the second Maruti model, after the slow selling SX4, to offer petrol, diesel and CNG fuel options. In general, Maruti adds CNG options only to cars which don't offer diesel engines.

The 1.4 litre K-Series motor which develops 88.8 bhp will be adopted to burn the gaseous fuel. Even though the availability of CNG is limited to certain regions of the country, the car maker hopes variants such as the CNG-fueled Ertiga and the special edition Ertiga Feliz will provide some relief.

[Source: Financialexpress.com]

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