Maruti Suzuki Celerio CNG to debut in June, diesel version also coming soon

New Delhi: Maruti Suzuki, the country's largest car maker, is panning to launch a CNG version of its popular Celerio hatchback next month.Under the hood, the car will come with 1.0 liter K series petrol engine that churns out a power of 59 PS of power on CNG mode. The CNG tank of the Celerio will be placed in the boot of the car. This will make the boot space lesser than that of the petrol version.The company says the engine has been modified to handle CNG fuel, which is more corrosive than petrol. The CNG version will have the option to switch between CNG and petrol fuels through a dashboard switch.The new variant of Celerio will be available only in manual variant and the engine will come mated to a 5 speed manual transmission promising a fuel efficiency of 31.79 km/kg.The CNG version is likely to cost Rs 4.70 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) and will be available only in the VXi variant. The new model will be monikered Celerio Green VXi.The CNG powered Celerio will come equipped with a stiffer rear suspension to handle the additional weight of the CNG kit.Maruti unveiled Celerio at the 2014 Auto Expo in Noida. It is the first car in India to come with Automated Manual Transmission (AMT). Under the hood, Celerio packs a 998cc, 3-cylinder, K10B engine, which can churn out a power of 67 bhp at 6,000 rpm and a torque of 9.1 kgm at 3,500 rpm. It is offered in six variants in India - two with automatic transmission and four with manual transmission and claims a fuel efficiency of 23.1 kilometers for both versions.Reports suggest that the company is planning to launch a diesel version of Celerio in the coming months. Watch out this space to know more.