Maruti Suzuki targets 1 million green vehicle sales with new automatic CNG range

Maruti Suzuki India Ltd has unveiled automatic transmission versions of its popular Swift, Dzire and Baleno models with S-CNG engines, marking a significant expansion of its green vehicle portfolio. The launches fall under the company's Auto Green Mission and target affluent buyers seeking the fuel economy benefits of compressed natural gas without compromising on transmission convenience.

The carmaker, which commands a dominant 70 per cent market share in India's CNG segment, had previously projected green vehicle sales of 8-9 lakh units for the current fiscal year. However, the company has now raised its targets to reach 1 million units across its CNG, hybrid and electric vehicle offerings, according to Partho Banerjee, Senior Executive Officer for Marketing and Sales.

Banerjee attributed the upward revision to structural market tailwinds, including rising crude oil prices that make CNG an increasingly attractive option for cost-conscious consumers. More significantly, the introduction of automatic transmission variants addresses a long-standing competitive disadvantage faced by CNG models, which previously lost sales to petrol-powered automatic vehicles among customers unwilling to sacrifice driving convenience.

The new automatic S-CNG variants are designed to appeal to premium and mid-segment customers who prioritise fuel efficiency and environmental sustainability but have historically avoided CNG due to transmission limitations. Industry analysts view the launches as a strategic response to evolving consumer preferences and could reshape the competitive dynamics of India's passenger vehicle market.