May was not a good month for most of the auto manufacturers in India, even for Maruti, the largest auto maker in India, which lost 14.4 percent in sales. As a matter of fact, the sale of some of its top selling diesel models like Swift and Ertiga also declined. So, to equitize the downfall MSI is planning to come up with the CNG version of the Ertiga by next week.
According to a report published in the Financial Express, Ertiga CNG will be appearing in two variants LXi and VXi only, not with the top of the line ZXi trim. The Ertiga CNG variant will cost about Rs. 30,000 more than the conventional model. This is considered to be an important move from Maruti as it is expecting decline in the sale of its diesel vehicles for a couple of months due to the rise in the diesel prices. So with incoming of a CNG model it will provide an adequate option for the people who are looking towards something with cheaper fuel. Maruti Ertiga will be the second vehicle in the Maruti lineup to receive all three fuels as an option, the other one is Maruti Suzuki SX4.
The main idea behind the scene is to offer several fuel options across the models. Currently Maruti is trying to have two fuel options across its entire range. Normally a CNG option is added to the vehicle that is already available in the petrol version as a lot of work is needed to modify the engine and suspension to suit with the need of the CNG unit, according to a company official.