Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) on Wednesday said it has sold over 1.57 lakh CNG cars in FY21, its highest ever in a fiscal.
The auto major had sold 1,06,444 CNG units in 2019-20.
MSI sells a range of factory-fitted CNG cars, including Alto, Celerio, Wagon-R, S-PRESSO, Eeco, Ertiga, Tour S and Super Carry.
"We see CNG as a technology that has set a new benchmark in green fuel mobility. Maruti Suzuki offers its customers the widest options of factory- fitted CNG-powered cars.
"At the same time, CNG is becoming one of the most preferred alternative fuels due to its economic cost of running (as compared to high prices of petrol and diesel) and improved CNG filling infrastructure," MSI Executive Director (Marketing & Sales) Shashank Srivastava said.
With the government's clear focus on expansion of CNG outlets in the country, the company is confident of greater acceptance of factory-fitted CNG vehicles, even in challenging times, he added.
MSI's S-CNG vehicle range is aligned to the government's vision to reduce oil import, the company said in a statement.
The government aims to enhance the share of natural gas in the energy basket of the country from 6.2 per cent now to 15 per cent by 2030.
The company's S-CNG technology will play a critical role in democratising green cars in the country, MSI noted.
It further said the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and the gas industry are working aggressively on the expansion of CNG stations across the country.
Despite a complete lockdown in the initial months of FY21, more than 700 stations have been added in the last one year alone, a growth of more than 50 per cent, MSI said.
This rate of network expansion will aid the demand for CNG vehicles, it added.
Currently, there are more than 2,800 CNG stations across the country, which are likely to cross 10,000 numbers over the next 7-8 years, it noted.
