India’s biggest car manufacturer, Maruti Suzuki India, said it might launch factory-fitted CNG cars by next financial year.
R C Bhargava, Maruti Suzuki Chairman said, “Our R&D people are working on developing a CNG vehicle which will have factory fitted kits. We are going ahead with the development but lot will depend on availability of the fuel across the country”.
He said the company might launch the CNG car during 2010-11.
Without giving more details, he said, “We hope that we will see one or two models in next fiscal”.
MSI is concentrating on the small car market as part of the project.
Bhargava said, “We are concentrating on small car segment… up to B segment. The small carcustomers are much more price sensitive. So we want to make affordable car for middle class and lower middle class families”.
MSItotal production during the 2009-10 financial year 1.2 million units.
From today, the company began getting natural gas at its Manesar factory from Gas Authority of India Ltd (GAIL). According to the 10 year contract with MSI, GAIL will provide 0.33 MMSCMD of R-LNG at the rate of USD 5.8 per mmBtu
MSI is the first client of GAIL’s recently commissioned Chainsa-Jhajjar-Hissar pipeline.