Amid growing popularity for compressed natural gas (CNG) powered vehicles, Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL) has launched automatic S-CNG models for the popular Swift, Dzire and Baleno. While the introductory prices of the Swift CNG AMT and Dzire CNG AMT are kept at Rs 7.92 lakh and Rs 8.53 lakh, respectively, the automatic CNG-powered Baleno comes at a starting price of Rs 8.32 lakh (ex-showroom).
“With modern Indian cities experiencing rapid growth, new-age customers are looking for the convenience of an automatic car without compromising on fuel-efficiency and performance in traffic conditions. Under the Auto Green Mission, our new range of automatic S-CNG models are perfectly suited for today’s aspirational customers who seek the best of both worlds,” said Partho Banerjee, Senior Executive Officer, Marketing & Sales, Maruti Suzuki India Limited.
Demand for CNG vehicles in India has seen a sharp surge in recent years, driven by lower running costs compared to petrol and diesel, alongside new automatic transmission launches. The share of CNG vehicles in India’s passenger vehicle sales (PV) has grown from 26% in August 2025 to 32% in August 2026.
In FY 2025-26, Maruti’s CNG car sales rose by 22% to 7.46 lakh cars and in the first quarter of this fiscal, sales grew by 58% to 2.2 lakh cars. At present, the penetration of CNG vehicles in Maruti Suzuki’s total domestic sales stands at 43% and the carmaker expects that this may even reach 50% if it is able to increase supply by ramping production,
Banerjee stated that MSIL is now targeting 10 lakh "green vehicle" sales - spanning CNG, hybrid and EV – in FY27. The leading carmaker had earlier set a target to sell 9 lakh CNG cars in FY27.
“During the first quarter of this year, we experienced a 58% increase in sales over the same quarter last year for our S-CNG vehicles. In July, we recorded the highest-ever S-CNG vehicle sales in a month at 83,000 units. The introduction of the new automatic S-CNG range of cars is sure to contribute to the growing share of clean and green cars in India,” said Banerjee.
The Swift, Dzire, Baleno S-CNG models are powered by the Advanced Z12E 1.2L engine featuring Dual Variable Valve Timing (Dual VVT) and Idle Start Stop (ISS) technology. The Z12E S-CNG engine is mated to Maruti Suzuki’s Auto Gear Shift transmission, also known as the Automated Manual Transmission (AMT). Maruti claims that the Dzire automatic S-CNG is India’s most fuel-efficient sedan with a fuel efficiency of 36.47km/kg.