TL; DR
- Maruti has launched India’s first flex-fuel car, the Wagon R Bioflex, at ₹7.24 lakh.
- It runs on ethanol blends from E20 to E85 using an upgraded 1.2-litre engine.
- The car is currently available only for commercial buyers, not private registrations.
After the recent unveiling in the presence of the government, Maruti Suzuki has launched the WagonR Bioflex in India commercially. With the launch, it has become the country’s first mass-market passenger car capable of running on high-ethanol fuel blends (higher than E20).
Also Read: E85 and The Flex Fuel Fiasco: Here’s What India Can Learn From Brazil’s Ethanol Blend Story
Maruti WagonR Bioflex: Price & Availability
Priced at ₹7.24 lakh (ex-showroom, metallic/non-metallic paint), the flex-fuel version is based on the top-spec ZXi+ petrol manual variant. It’s worth noting here that the variant is ₹86,000 more expensive than the standard petrol version.
To me, the pricing sounds quite attractive at first, as it’s well within the reach of the masses. However, it’s the higher upfront cost and the higher running cost (due to ethanol’s lesser energy density and high blending ratio) that could make it harder for buyers to recover the premium over the standard petrol version.
Anyways, the WagonR Bioflex is only available for commercial buyers at the time. Private registrations are on hold as E85 isn’t widely available yet. The government plans to make the fuel available at around 500 petrol pumps across Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Pune, and Nagpur by the end of 2026, and up to 5,000 pumps by the end of 2027.
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Maruti WagonR Bioflex: Key Features
The primary difference between the regular and the flex-fuel version is the 1.2-litre K12N four-cylinder engine paired with a 5-speed manual gearbox, which is capable of running on ethanol blends up to E85.
In other words, buyers will be able to run the vehicle on any mix from standard E20 petrol up to E85. To achieve this, the car comes equipped with upgraded fuel injectors and pumps, new fuel lines, a recalibrated ECU, and an ethanol sensor that detects the concentration of the biofuel in the petrol.
At the time of writing this article, the power output or the fuel efficiency figures of the car aren’t released yet. According to recent tests conducted on a flex-fuel bike, E85 returns around 25% lesser fuel efficiency when compared to E20. For a four-wheeler which is heavier, the difference could be steeper.
All the other features remain similar to the regular ZXi+ variant, including a seven-inch infotainment screen with support for wired Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, six airbags, ESP, rear parking sensors, and steering mounted audio and call controls.
Also Read: Next-Gen Hyundai i20: Here’s Everything We Know
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