After introducing the Celerio with petrol and CNG options, Maruti Suzuki is likely to also bring flex-fuel tech to the city car
Maruti Suzuki recently introduced the all-new Celerio, which has become the most fuel-efficient car in India.
The brand is now testing the new car with a different camouflage. The new spy pictures by V3 Cars indicate the Indian manufacturer is likely testing the flex-fuel engines that will comply with the new fuel type. The Indian government is already pushing for flex-fuel engines in cars, which will reduce fuel imports.
What is a flex-fuel engine?
It seems like Maruti Suzuki is working to bring the flex-fuel engine to the market
Flex-fuel engines are similar to internal combustion petrol engines. However, these engines can run on a higher ethanol and petrol blend. While regular engines cannot burn a higher blend ratio of ethanol and petrol blends, flex-fuel engines can run on up to 83% blends.
Now, this is important for the central government to roll out flex-fuel engines as quickly as possible. India wants to reduce the import fuel bills and reduce dependency on fossil fuels. The ethanol is extracted from sugarcane, which is abundant in India. Mixing a higher amount of ethanol with petrol will reduce the crude oil import drastically.
These spy shots courtesy of V3cars shows a Maruti Suzuki Celerio wearing an unusual camouflage
Brazil already uses flex-fuel engines. Brazil also has one of the highest ethanol-petrol blends in the world. Popular manufacturers offer flex-fuel engines in the country, which is also the world’s second-largest ethanol producer.
Will we get a new engine with the Celerio flex fuel?
The brand is yet to comment officially on the flex-fuel engines
It is unlikely that Maruti Suzuki will spawn an all-new engine for the flex-fuel. Instead, the current K-Series will be re-engineered to make them fit for the higher fuel blend.
The new Maruti Suzuki Celerio gets the 1.0-litre naturally-aspirated petrol engine. The engine generates a maximum power of 66PS and a peak torque of 89 Nm. With petrol, the engine returns a maximum mileage of 26.68 km/l while with CNG, it increases to 35.6 km/kg.
The government has issued an advisory
The newly introduced Maruti Suzuki Celerio was caught on test
Last year, the union government announced that they have already issued an advisory to the carmakers to introduce flexible-fuel engines. Gadkari, India’s Road and Highway Minister said that the advisory asks the carmakers to introduce flex-fuel engines within the next six months.
Currently, only Bajaj and TVS have flex-fuel engines in India, which are available with the three-wheelers. Gadkari also said that the four-wheeler vehicles will run on 100 ethanol in future, which will save the country money.
What do you think of the flex-fuel engines? Do let us know in the comments below.
Keyword: Maruti Suzuki Celerio On Test Again; Flex-Fuel Engines On The Cards Next?