With discontinuation of diesel engines on smaller cars, Maruti is now more focused on bringing in CNG-compliant petrol motors in its small-car portfolio. It already has vehicles like the Alto, Alto K10, Celerio, Eeco, WagonR and Ertiga which come along with a company-fitted CNG fuel setup. Now, at the ongoing 2020 Auto Expo, Maruti has unveiled the CNG variant of the S-Presso.
The CNG-powered S-Presso will draw power from a bi-fuel variant of Maruti’s K10B 1 litre engine. It is a BS 6 emission norms compliant naturally aspirated 3-cylinder petrol motor. It will be dishing out 59.14 PS when running on CNG and churning out 67.98 PS while consuming petrol. Transmission options will be limited to just the 5-speed Manual Transmission.
Maruti will be offering the S-Presso CNG in 4 trim options, namely LXi, LXi (O), VXi and VXi (O). The entry-level LXi trim will include ABS with EBD, speed alert system, AC, digital information display for the driver, reverse parking sensors, power steering and front-seatbelt reminders. Customers choosing the VXi trim will additionally get body-colored bumpers, full-wheel covers, gearshift-indicator, speed-sensitive door lock, remote keyless entry, accessory power socket, two-speaker audio system and central door locking.
The Optional grades, LXi (O) and VXi (O) will be offered with additional safety features. These safety features include a passenger-side airbag, front-seatbelt pretensioners and force limiters. The car hasn’t been tested by GNCAP or any other crash-testing body yet, so at the moment the safety rating of Maruti S-Presso isn’t available.
On the nomenclature front, it is to be noted that Maruti has started a new trend through which it adds the ‘S-CNG’ suffix in all of its CNG vehicles. Going by the past record, Maruti could name the CNG S-Presso as S-Presso S-CNG.
Launching CNG variants of its popular models has helped Maruti to attract customers looking for an economic and greener fuel. CNG variants of Wagon-R, Swift Dzire and Alto are commonly found in Metros and Tier 1 towns plying around as on-demand taxis, ferrying people from one corner to the other. Cheaper cost of operations of CNG is slowly making it a more tempting option for multiple customers who have CNG access in their cities.
This post was last modified on February 6, 2020 10:08 am