Upcoming Flex Fuel Cars From Maruti, Toyota, MG And Hyundai
India is set to witness the influx of flex-fuel vehicles- vehicles that run on higher Ethanol blends (85% or above). Maruti Suzuki has launched India’s first mass-market flex fuel vehicle (FFVs) based on the WagonR. In a recent conference in Nagpur, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari confirmed that more automakers will launch flex-fuel models in India in the next few months. Maruti Suzuki, Toyota, MG, and Hyundai will launch FFVs in the near term. Here’s a closer look at what’s coming.
Another flex fuel model expected from Maruti Suzuki is the Fronx FFV. It is expected to support blends of up to E85 (85% Ethanol and 15% petrol blend). It will have a re-engineered version of the 1.2-litre petrol engine (K12N) used on the regular Fronx.
The FFV version will have critical upgrades like ethanol-resistant fuel lines, modified injectors, a recalibrated ECU and an Ethanol sensor. These will allow the engine to adapt to various Ethanol blends. The Fronx FFV was previously showcased as a prototype at the Japan Mobility Show, last year. The design and feature list of the flex-fuel version are likely to remain the same as those of the regular Fronx.
Toyota is taking a more advanced approach. A flex-fuel version of the Innova Hycross is known to be in the works. It will combine flex-fuel technology with strong hybrid technology. It will then become one of the most sophisticated FFVs in the country and will have high fuel efficiency. The Hycross FFV will pair a 2.0-litre petrol engine with a strong hybrid system, both adapted to operate on high Ethanol blends.
Another possible launch is the flex-fuel version of the Corolla sedan. The carmaker had previously showcased a flex-fuel hybrid version of the Corolla, capable of running up to E100 blend. The 1.8-litre strong hybrid petrol engine makes around 102hp and 142Nm. It is likely that Toyota launches this vehicle in the future.
Hyundai will launch a flex-fuel version of the Creta, sometime in the near future. The company had previously showcased an E100-compatible version of the Creta. Unlike the standard Creta, the production version of this will be capable of running on blends as high as E100 (near-pure Ethanol).
The production version will use a 1.0-litre turbo-petrol engine capable of running E100. It will likely be paired with an automatic transmission. More importantly, the fuel lines and powertrain components will have significant improvements that facilitate Ethanol-compatibility. We don’t have an official launch timeline for this product yet.
Tata Motors is also expected to launch a flex-fuel model in India in the coming months. It will be based on the Tata Punch micro-SUV. The vehicle was previously showcased in the prototype form, at the Bharat Mobility Expo 2025.
Tata’s CEO Shailesh Chandra recently confirmed that the production model will be out by the end of this year. The flex-fuel Punch will use a modified version of the 1.2-litre petrol engine, which will be capable of running fuel blends ranging from E20 to E100.
Minister Gadkari mentioned in his speech that MG is also readying flex fuel models. It currently has two petrol models on sale here- the Astor and the Hector. It is unclear as to which of these will become the company’s first FFV. Being more popular than the Astor, the Hector has higher chances of becoming MG’s first flex-fuel model.