Maruti is sensing heated competition in its MPV segment where they have their best seller Ertiga. Ertiga, ever since its launch, has been a tremendous success for the company and it continues its fantastic run. even now.
However, we have a few new entrants in the segment that are planned and about to get launched. The first one to take a shot is Chevrolet’s Enjoy which will launch on 9th May and it is expected to undercut Ertiga’s pricing despite the presence of better interior space and similar diesel engine.
To counter attack, Maruti is preparing a greener CNG variant of Ertiga. It will be an option along with the existing 1.4L K-Series petrol engine and the 1.3L DDIS diesel motor. Now, the news from one of our sources is that the production of Ertiga CNG is scheduled to start sometime in May 2013 with the actual launch taking place shortly. So, expect an official announcement regarding Ertiga CNG in a couple of months.
According to the information we have, Maruti will offer Ertiga CNG in LXI and VXI trims. With CNG, Ertiga will have the potential to thwart off the competition which are not in this (fuel) space. Ertiga will be India’s first MPV or SUV which will offer CNG fuel option in India and hence will get the first mover advantage.
