Maruti Suzuki has delivered a BS-VI upgrade to its popular WagonR car without implementing a price change, unlike the petrol version.
The new, BS-6 compliant WagonR S-CNG Lxi will continue to be available at a price of Rs 5.25 lakh in Delhi, excluding RTO charges. The only other CNG trim, Lxi (O) will continue to cost Rs 5.32 lakh.
The reason why the prices have been kept unchanged despite a change in technology is not clear.
When the company upgraded the petrol model of WagonR from BS4 to BS6, it had increased the price by Rs 8,000.
It is estimated that companies have to spend between Rs 8,000 to Rs 25,000 to produce a BS6 car compared to their BS4 version.
BS6 is the latest emission standard for hydrocarbon-based vehicles in India, and contains stricter standards for compliance.
No vehicle that fails to meet this standard can be sold anywhere in the country from April 1.
While people can continue to buy BS-IV vehicles till March 31, there is a slight chance that these cars may be made obsolete quicker than those with newer engines.
Maruti Suzuki unveiled the bigger WagonR last year, making it the third generation of the much-loved tallboy model. It said it has already sold 2.4 million of the new version.
Maruti Suzuki said it has sold 1 million vehicles with non-conventional fuels, including CNG and Smart Hybrids, since it was established nearly half a century ago.
It said it now plans to sell the next 1 million such vehicles in the next two years.
Sales of CNG or compressed natural gas models is limited to certain cities where the fuel is available, such as Delhi.
“The launch of Maruti Suzuki’s S-CNG vehicle range is aligned to and complements the Government of India’s vision of reducing oil import and enhancing the share of natural gas in the energy basket of the country from 6.2% now to 15% by 2030,” the company said, adding that the government is working to rapidly increase CNG fuel pumps in the country.
While regular petrol cars can also be fitted with CNG kits, manufacturers prefer that their customers buy factory-fitted variants.
Maruti Suzuki said its CNG vehicles are specially tuned and calibrated to deliver optimum performance and enhanced drivability across all kinds of terrains.