2 Jun, 2008, 0205 hrs IST,Chanchal Pal Chauhan, TNN
NEW DELHI: You needn’t loosen your purse strings on this one as it runs on compressed natural gas (CNG), the cheapest auto fuel in the world. The three-star iconic luxury brand, Mercedes-Benz, just drove in with a CNG-complaint engine, making it more fuel efficient than the India’s cheapest car Maruti 800, which runs only on petrol.
New CNG variant of Mercedes-Benz runs over 20 km on a kg of CNG against its petrol sibling which guzzles a litre for every 12 km. Moreover, CNG comes at less than half the price — Rs 19 — against Rs 45.52 for petrol in Delhi. And it’s much more cleaner than petrol.
As energy crisis grips the world and speculations mount about a hefty fuel price hike, CNG has taken centre stage in Mercedes India plans. The German company has already imported a couple of CNG-compatible cars in Delhi and Mumbai, allowing even the monied to have cheaper fuel options. According automobile industry sources, Mercedes-Benz plans to bring its globally-successful CNG sedans to India.
“We have some cars running on CNG in India. It’s a successful technology and has been developed over the years. We are also trying the bio-diesel option on the E Class saloon here. If these extensive trials are successful, we shall introduce these cars in India too,” said a Daimler India senior executive.
Mercedes-Benz, India’s largest luxury carmaker, had sold 2,491 cars in 2007. Buoyed by 50% increase in sales to 1,330 cars — both locally made and imported — in the first four months of 2008, it is looking at its worldwide successful new CNG models to garner higher sales.
It had already launched its B class B170 NGT and the E 200 CNG sedans in the US and Europe and plans to extend them to India. For its new CNG range in India, Mercedes is banking on institutional sales where vehicles ply largely on CNG technology.
Other luxury car makers are also not lagging behind on green plans. BMW is looking at bringing its clean hydrogen technology, which runs on water and emits only steam. The technology has not yet been commercialised.
“The high-tech BMW Hydrogen 7 is our answer to green fuels. It is an expensive technology but with rapid expansion of the luxury car market in India, there is a potential for alternative fuels in future,” said BMW India spokesperson.
CNG and other green fuels are likely to change the image of luxury cars known for guzzling fuel. With crude oil touching $135 a barrel, alternative fuel options are becoming basic characteristic of luxury cars too. With over 7,000 luxury cars sold in India in FY08, some exciting fuel options are likely to hit the segment soon.
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