New Delhi, June 4: Maruti Suzuki has unveiled the WagonR Flex-Fuel, India’s first vehicle capable of running entirely on flex-fuel. This launch comes at a time when rising crude oil prices have made petrol and diesel more expensive, aiding the country’s transition to cleaner energy sources.
The new model can operate on ethanol-petrol blends ranging from E20 to E100, making it the first passenger vehicle in India designed for 100% ethanol use.
The company stated that this launch aligns with broader efforts to reduce reliance on traditional petrol and to enhance the use of biofuels in the transportation sector.
The event was attended by Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, who discussed the government’s ongoing initiatives to promote clean transportation solutions. He revealed plans to introduce 15% isobutanol blended diesel as part of the government’s alternative fuel strategy.
Gadkari urged automobile companies, including Maruti Suzuki India Limited and Hero MotoCorp, to convert older vehicles to flex-fuel models and ensure compliance with stringent Euro 6 emission standards. He emphasized that such measures would help reduce air pollution and support the vehicle scrappage program aimed at removing older, more polluting vehicles from the roads.
During the launch, Gadkari highlighted the automobile sector as a key driver of growth for the Indian economy, noting that India now boasts the world’s third-largest automobile industry, significantly contributing to GDP.
Maruti Suzuki’s Managing Director and CEO, Hisashi Takeuchi, also mentioned that the company is investing in compressed biogas (CBG) projects and exploring other clean technologies like hydrogen fuel.
Additionally, Partho Banerjee, the company’s Senior Executive Officer for Marketing and Sales, noted that nearly half of the green vehicles sold in the industry last fiscal year were from Maruti Suzuki.
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