New Delhi: Maruti Suzuki is currently one of the few car manufacturers in India that has multiple CNG powered cars in its product portfolio. Most of the cars are hatchbacks, such as the new Celerio CNG which is set to be launched this month, but the company is set to launch the CNG-powered Vitara Brezza by April this year, offering it with CNG as a factory option in a compact SUV. India’s first manufacturer to do so.
CV Raman, Chief Technology Officer, Maruti Suzuki India had earlier said that the company will have “a CNG variant for every model going forward.” He also said “CNG offers the lowest cost proposition in terms of total cost of ownership.” The Vitara Brezza model in 2022 will see major updates including a CNG-powered version. This update will see Maruti Suzuki stop using the name Vitara from “Maruti Suzuki Brezza”.
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Despite the update, the Brezza is expected to be powered by a 1.5-litre inline-four K15B petrol engine that produces 105 hp and 138 Nm of peak torque. The CNG-spec Vitara Brezza will be powered by the same engine, though power and torque outputs are expected to be lower.
Additionally, the Ertiga CNG comes with the same engine that produces 92 hp and 122 Nm of peak torque, which is less than 13 horsepower and 16 Nm on the petrol-powered version. Due to its lighter weight, the Vitara Brezza CNG should have better fuel economy than the Ertiga CNG.
It is not yet known how much the CNG variant of the Vitara Brezza will cost, but it is expected to be between Rs 80,000-90,000 more than the regular variant. There is no direct competition for the Brezza CNG, but Tata Motors may launch the Nexon with a CNG powertrain in the future. However, no official announcement has been made by Tata Motors yet.