According to rumour mills, Maruti may add a CNG variant of its successful small car, the Celerio. The CNG variant of the Celerio could end up in Maruti showrooms by June.
We expect the Celerio to be available in similar specifications as the other Maruti models like the Wagon R CNG. The 1.0-litre K-Series engine running on petrol produces 68bhp and 90Nm while the CNG kit may bring the power down to 58bhp and 77Nm. The Wagon R, with the same engine, has an ARAI economy figure of 20.5 kmpl in petrol and 26.6 km/kg with CNG. The Celerio has an ARAI fuel economy figure of 23.1 kmpl, which might go up by at least 5 kms with CNG. This might appeal to buyers looking for an economical runabout that isn’t too old.
The Celerio is a relatively new product, and it is famous for being the country’s cheapest automatic car. The AMT (Automated Manual Transmission) variant of the car has outsold the manual model according to reports with potential buyers having to wait for more than six months to acquire one. In this AMT frenzy the manual variant seems to be losing out on sales but the addition of a CNG kit might help turnaround sales to a certain extent.
Although, it seems like Maruti is in a rush to launch a CNG variant so soon, a diesel Celerio might be available this fiscal. Think about that!
Source: Motorbeam