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New Delhi: Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, has announced that Maruti Suzuki will unveil a new flex-fuel passenger vehicle on June 5th, which is also World Environment Day. Whilst speaking at an event in Nagpur, Gadkari noted that the upcoming model will be able to run on E100 fuel or 100 per cent ethanol fuel.

If launched as announced, the vehicle could become India’s first mass-market passenger car engineered to operate on 100 per cent ethanol fuel. While Maruti Suzuki is yet to officially confirm this, the brand had previously shown flex-fuel prototypes of the Wagon R and Fronx at both international and domestic auto shows, which could be strong contenders for this.

Gadkari further reiterated the government’s continued push towards alternative fuels and reduced dependence on fossil fuel imports. He also stressed the economic and environmental need of reducing petroleum dependence as nearly 87 per cent of India’s petrol, diesel and gas requirements are met through imports, which increases both fuel bills and emissions.

India has already moved towards E20 fuel standardisation, while the Bureau of Indian Standards has quite recently introduced specifications for higher ethanol blends, which include E22, E25, E27 and E30, coming as part of India’s ethanol roadmap.

The flex-fuel Wagon R prototype had been shown earlier at the Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2024, which gave some early indication of Maruti Suzuki’s prep towards higher ethanol blends. Meanwhile, Suzuki had also displayed an E85-compatible version of the Fronx at the Japan Mobility Show 2025, hinting at future India plans.

E100-compatible models need heavy engineering changes. Ethanol is far more corrosive than petrol and absorbs moisture much faster, which means automakers need to upgrade fuel lines, injectors, seals, engine management systems, and engine calibration systems for both durability and reliability. Industry estimates suggest such modifications might increase manufacturing costs somewhere between Rs 40,000 and Rs 50,000 initially.

Maruti Suzuki executives have previously confirmed that the brand already possesses the technical capability to support higher ethanol mix and flex-fuel applications, though the adoption will be gradual due to infrastructure, as per the brand.

During an earlier earnings call, Senior Executive Officer for Corporate Affairs at Maruti Suzuki, Rahul Bharti, had expressed that even though the technology is ready, meaningful demand for flex-fuel vehicles might be several years away since ethanol distribution infrastructure expands across the nation.

E100 fuel just refers to pure ethanol without any petrol content. Even though ethanol offers a higher octane rating and cleaner combustion characteristics as opposed to petrol, vehicles running on it need specially made engines and fuel systems.