Maruti Suzuki has launched the CNG version of the Ertiga MPV in the Indian market, calling it the Ertiga Green, which returns a mileage of 22.80 km/kg. The company has offered the Ertiga Green CNG in two variants LXi and VXi. The Ertiga LXi CNG is priced at Rs. 6.91 lakhs, while the Ertiga VXi CNG is priced at Rs. 7.73 lakhs (all prices ex-showroom, Mumbai), a premium of Rs. 56,000/- and Rs. 63,000/- respectively over its petrol alternative. ABS is not available on the CNG version.
Usually the price difference between a petrol only version and a petrol-CNG model is around Rs. 70-80,000/- but Maruti Suzuki has priced the Ertiga CNG quite aggressively. Power comes in from a 1.4-litre K-Series engine which employs VVT. The standard petrol version produces 95 PS of power and 130 Nm of torque but the CNG version produces lower output (82 PS and 110 Nm), coupled to a 5-speed manual gearbox. The Ertiga CNG uses i-GPI (intelligent-Gas Port Injection) technology which uses a Dual Engine Control Unit to optimize performance and reduce fuel consumption.
The Maruti Ertiga Green CNG is available in Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Gujarat, Pune and parts of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh. These places have CNG infrastructure. Maruti Suzuki has sold 87,000 units of the Ertiga till date. The company has priced the vehicle in Delhi at Rs. 6.52 lakhs for the LXi variant and Rs. 7.30 lakhs for the VXi variant (ex-showroom).
The Maruti Suzuki Ertiga has been a massive success for India’s largest automaker, which has not be able to sell big cars due to their image of being a small car manufacturer. The Ertiga is also doing decent numbers in Indonesia, where it is badged as the Mazda VX-1. The current waiting period for the MPV has come down to almost instant delivery however supply constraints of the ZXi variant can cause a delay of around 3 weeks. Last month Maruti Suzuki sold 4306 units of the Ertiga in the Indian market.
