WagonR Bioflex price revealed; Maruti Suzuki’s flex-fuel car costs more than conventional petrol variant

Maruti Suzuki India Ltd, the country’s biggest carmaker, has finally revealed the price of its maiden flex-fuel car, the WagonR Bioflex. Priced at Rs 7,23,900, the WagonR flex-fuel costs Rs 1,28,420 more than a comparable WagonR ZXi MT and Rs 74,420 more than the ZXi+ variant.

The WagonR Bioflex runs on E85 fuel, a blend comprising 85% ethanol and 15% petrol. The company claims it can also run on E100 or pure ethanol.

The flex-fuel WagonR was launched by Union minister of road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari and Union minister of petroleum and natural gas Hardeep Singh Puri on June 4.

Industry executives had earlier told Business Today that E85 needs to be at least 30% cheaper than conventional petrol to make economic sense for consumers as ethanol contains roughly one-third less energy than petrol. However, E85, which is now available at select fuel pumps costs Rs 82 per litre in Delhi, roughly 20% less than E20 petrol.

About 500 petrol pumps across Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Pune, and Nagpur will dispense E85, a fuel blend containing 85% ethanol and 15% petrol, by the end of 2026, Union minister Puri said at the launch of flex-fuel WagonR.

“In the beginning, we will have about 50-100 dispensing station outlets in Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Pune, and Nagpur corridor. These will expand to 500 by December this year, and approximately, God willing, to 5,000 outlets across major cities by end of next year,” Puri said.

India has over 1,00,000 petrol pumps across the country. Flex-fuel vehicles will need new infrastructure or modifications in existing gas stations to dispense E85.

The government could also leverage the fuel dispensing infrastructure currently used for high-octane petrol to roll out E85 fuel. This is feasible because the Research Octane Number (RON) of petrol sold in India has risen to 95 from around 88 in the past. The introduction of E20-blended petrol has enhanced the fuel's octane value and resistance to engine knocking, thereby reducing the technical challenges involved in transitioning to E85.