Maruti Suzuki begins flex-fuel WagonR deliveries

Maruti Suzuki India -- the country's largest carmaker -- delivered its first flex-fuel car to 13 customers in the national capital on Wednesday. The development comes at the country strives to transition from traditional fuels to sustainable fuels.

The New Delhi-headquartered auto giant -- whose popular models include Dzire, Swift, Baleno, Fronx and Ertiga -- had rolled out its first ethanol-blended fuel mobile passenger vehicle on the occasion of World Environment Day, on June 5.

Why is Maruti Suzuki WagonR's debut in the news?

As the automobile manufacturer debuted two flex-fuel versions on that day, the E20 and E100 versions of the WagonR and Fronx joined the growing ethanol-blend trend.

The ongoing shift in the industry towards sustainable alternatives and greener, cleaner fuels has drawn attention from retailers, manufacturers and consumers alike.

The government's push towards this transition was evident from the presence of Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri at the launch event.

Maruti Suzuki's ethanol-blended FFV features

According to Maruti Suzuki, the vehicle will run on ethanol blends ranging from E20 to E85, which includes high-ethanol blends.

The constituents of E100 fuel consist of 93.5 per cent ethanol, 5 per cent petroleum, and 1.5 per cent detergents and solvents.

Flex-fuel vehicles are capable of functioning on these ethanol blends, making them a more environmentally friendly option for transportation.

Blends like E85 contain up to 85 per cent ethanol and 15 per cent gasoline.

Other auto makers joining FFV race

The adoption of flex-fuel vehicles in the country's automobile industry is gathering steam. Earlier, Hero MotoCorp launched its first flex-fuel bikes -- Splendor Plus and HF Deluxe -- both of which are capable of running on ethanol blends ranging from E20 to E85.

Following this, Suzuki launched its flex-fuel motorcycle, the Suzuki Gixxer SF 250 FFV.

In the four-wheeler segment, along with Maruti Suzuki, Toyota piloted its flex-fuel passenger vehicle prototype, the Toyota Hyryder Flex.

Other manufacturers such as Tata and Mahindra are also looking to launch their FFVs in the market.

Government's push towards ethanol blending

According to the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, the country's push towards ethanol blending has helped the country achieve 20 per cent ethanol blending in petrol in 2025, five years ahead of the original target.

The government attributes this achievement to its ethanol blending programme and related policy initiatives.

Gadkari wrote on microblogging site X (formerly TwitteR) that India is the world's largest two-wheeler market and stated that flex-fuel technology can reduce carbon monoxide emissions by 77 per cent, lower oil dependence and enable foreign exchange savings of Rs 1.44 lakh crore.

He made the remarks on the launch day of Hero MotoCorp's FFV bikes.