The Maruti Suzuki India Limited has launched a CNG variant of the its very popular hatchback model Maruti Celerio at priced Rs 4.68 lakh ex-Showroom Delhi. The CNG variant is currently available only in the Vxi Manual transmission variant not with AMT (Automatic) variant. The Celerio AMT may also get a CNG kit soon. Company is also planning to launch the LPG and Diesel variant with Maruti Celerio in 2015.
The dual fuel Celerio is available in same the 1.0 litre KNext petrol engine that generating 68PS of power for Petrol and 58PS power switched for the CNG , with 90 Nm of maximum torque. It claims 31.79 km/kg mileage for CNG drive and 23.1kmpl for petrol drive. Company made some changes in suspension stiffer in order to compensate for the CNG kit added weight.
The main cause of the increased waiting period, which now stands at almost 8 months, is the backlog on Magnetti Marelli’s end of production. The Italian manufacturer is not able to keep up with the demand for AMT gearboxes, which is why the imports are going slow.