Maruti Suzuki India Ltd is betting big on its compressed natural gas programme particularly for its big SUVs even as the prices of CNG have been on a northward spiral for the last six months.

The company recently launched a CNG powertrain for its bigger SUV XL6 along with the Swift and Baleno.

“We have received a good response for our CNGXL6. Many of our SUV customers are opting for CNG powertrains for cleaner emissions,” said Shashank Srivastava, senior executive director, sales and marketing, MSIL while talking to TheTelegraph over the phone.

“From a sales of 1,500CNG vehicles per month during April to May 2022, we are now selling around 1,300 CNG vehicles per month. There has been a 12-13 per cent loss in terms of sales of models because of rising gas prices,” said Srivastava.

He said Delhi CNG prices have now stabilised atRs 78.60 per kg while in Mumbai it is Rs 89.50.

In Calcutta, CNG prices are at Rs 58.16 per kg.

“A lot of our customers are opting for CNG not only for its green emissions but also because of its lower running costs. Even with elevated prices, CNGsoffer better running costs,” said Srivastava.