Maruti Suzuki India which launched the WagonR Flex Fuel last month, is taking a long-term approach to the flex-fuel vehicle (FFV) market, choosing to prioritise the development of an ethanol-fuel ecosystem over chasing immediate sales. The brand further added that creating confidence among fuel retailers, policymakers and other stakeholders is more important at this stage than generating large sales volumes. “We are in no hurry to see results,” Rahul Bharti, Senior Executive Officer (Corporate Affairs), said during a media interaction. “What is more important is to take the first step and give confidence to the other stakeholders that they can also start investing and build the pillars of the ecosystem.”
Bharti said Maruti Suzuki sees it as the responsibility of the market leader to introduce the technology first and encourage the development of the supporting infrastructure. Once the ecosystem matures, flex-fuel vehicles could emerge as a mainstream mobility option. “When the ecosystem comes together, the dots will be joined, and then it will become a very mainstream kind of option. Till such time, we are very patient, and we can wait,” he said.
Driving National Self-Reliance
The brand further added that it has positioned flex-fuel technology as an important contributor to India’s ambition of becoming energy self-reliant by increasing the use of domestically produced ethanol and reducing dependence on imported crude oil. “We believe this is a technology that will help India in a long way to become Atmanirbhar,” the company said.
The WagonR Flex Fuel is capable of operating on ethanol-petrol blends ranging from E20 to E100 through modifications to its engine calibration and fuel system. Maruti Suzuki has opened bookings across the country and said it will not wait for a nationwide E85 retail network since the vehicle can also run on conventional petrol and lower ethanol blends already available in the market. The company added that the model has been priced below the comparable CNG variant but did not disclose booking or sales figures.
Gradual Expansion
The government is expected to gradually expand E85 fuel availability, with retail outlets projected to increase from around 50 in the coming months to about 500 by December 2026 and nearly 5,000 by the end of 2027. Maruti Suzuki said wider fuel availability, competitive ethanol pricing and support from state governments will determine the pace of adoption.
Maruti Suzuki further added that it continues to view flex-fuel vehicles as one element of a broader multi-technology strategy that also includes battery electric vehicles, strong hybrids, CNG and compressed biogas. It maintains that India’s diverse mobility needs cannot be addressed by a single powertrain, with multiple technologies expected to coexist based on affordability, infrastructure and customer requirements.
