Why we don't get factory fitted CNG / LPG kits in India?

mrkanitkar · 23rd December 2009, 10:55

It's long time now, we have CNG/LPG kits available and working well.
If you go to market to buy new car with CNG/LPG, you don't have much choice.
Last week I was shopping for car for my inlaws, they wanted to have new car running on CNG in Mumbai. We left with Santro, Accent both have LPG as model and CNG as kit. Alto CNG is only available in Delhi & NCR, that too as kit.
Wagon R available with LPG as fatory fitted one. Indica have CNG with dealer network only in Delhi & NCR. No other cars in A, B, C, D segments are having CNG/ LPG option. rr

If we go with CNG kits from market, car companies do not extend warranty.
The models available with factory fitted LPG as low end models.
Any reason why car manufacturers are not serious about launching CNG/ LPG factory fitted models or supporting with warranty if customer wants kit from market?

windsurfer · 23rd December 2009, 12:54

Cedia is another option. Does spark not have this option?

SamtheLeo · 23rd December 2009, 12:56

There are many brands & models which are coming with factory fitted..

Maruti
Hyundai
Tata
Mitsubushi
to name few

cadaver_prad · 23rd December 2009, 13:07

LPG and CNG still suffer with the reputation of being harmful to the engine and of being high maintenance. iI drive an ikon 1.6 wit a LPG kit and i do not hav any problem with it apart from tuning the kit once in 6 months and it gives me a consistent mileage of around 10-11 which is good for an ikon 1.6. I guess the company does not offer CNG from factory as the availability of the filling stations is rare.

mrkanitkar · 23rd December 2009, 15:16

@SamtheLeo
Maruti do not have any CNG model as factory fitted. WagonR Duo is only one low end LPG car. TATA do not have it. I done enough check in market.

SamtheLeo · 23rd December 2009, 15:20

@ mrkanitkar

I meant to say either one of the two. TATA launhed Indicab CNG. Also in Okhla, new delhi they have a tie up which can install CNG with 4 yrs warranty with out breaking company warranty as it is authorised by Tata. but charges are extra.

PS : I also heard Maruti Omni in CNG is available.

S1FIAT · 23rd December 2009, 15:31

@ SamtheLeo
Yes Maruti Omni has also come up with CNG variant
Check this out - THE CNG OPTION
And details of features - Details of Maruti Omni CNG

tj123 · 23rd December 2009, 15:44

Giving LPG/CNG factory fitted kits are the last bit effort by a manufacturer to push sales of an out going model (in most cases) .

You will find factory fitted kits on M800, Santro, Wagon R, Accent etc. All these models are in there last stage of there product lifecycle. It’s the last bit of push by manufacturer before phasing off a model.

MileCruncher · 23rd December 2009, 15:57

@mrkanitkar: Any particular reasons you are looking at a CNG/LPG car. Is the running too high? If yes, then I would suggest to go for Diesel. If the running is low but the owner wants to have low cost/Km, then let me tell you that TCO of a LPG vehicle will be much higher than if they had stuck with a Petrol vehicle.

LPG/CNG are totally dry fuels and cause much higher rate of wear and tear compared to Petrol or Diesel. And if the concerned vehicle is going to be used for only short runs, the LPG/CNG is an absolute no go as it will harm the engine adversely.

mrkanitkar · 23rd December 2009, 16:21

I don't want to convert this thread in to car buying advice post. In general, we are looking for CNG car to reduce TCO. The customer want to keep the car for 8-10 yrs. Monthly running would be around 2-3.5 Kkms in Mumbai & around. We are looking for car with good features (medium- top end models) with option of factory fitted CNG or after market CNG without breaking warranty. We wanted to have lowest fuel cost per month.
TATA, Maruti, Hyundai, Skoda, Fiat, Ford, M&M and so on, no one offers factory fitted kits, neither they support after market kit.
Maruti have CNG kit for Alto in Delhi but not in Mumbai. :(

Trust_In_Thrust · 23rd December 2009, 16:39

Well if i recall correctly only DCM Daewoo Cielo had a factory fitted CNG system . All other cars are either done at dealers place or some CNG fitter's place.
I think if car manufacturers were to give factory fitted CNG option than they will have to change the suspension setup , and also chassis strengthening at the back .
Also i CNG is a dry fuel but i have never heard of any car engine gone bust due to CNG if maintained properly .Also it is possible that before making CNG system part of assembly lines manufacturer want some volumes to build up for CNG cars .

basilmabraham · 23rd December 2009, 18:44

Going forward, I am sure more and more manufacturers will bring in alternative fuel cars. CNG included, hope that the future is bright for those looking for the one like this.

GTO · 24th December 2009, 11:24

This one leaves me baffled. I mean, all our market seems to care about is FE and low of running. The percentage of diesels amongst passenger cars is shooting skyward each quarter, thanks in part to the wider choice available (including our national engine the 1.3 MJD).

Why have CNG & LPG not clicked in the market? CNG is by far the cheapest fuel to run your car on. And LPG prices may have shot up in the recent past...but even when Auto LPG was cheaper, it never really clicked as much as it should have. Even with the current pricing, LPG is on par with diesel. But gives you lower cost of acquisition, refinement and the ability to switch over to petrol (when you want to high-revv

. What's the real deterrent? Of course, we have a thread on that too Linky. I'm still not entirely convinced....there is a need for greater awareness.

Of course, our auto manufacturers, being what they are, will only REACT (forget about pro-activeness).

SamtheLeo · 24th December 2009, 12:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrkanitkar

TATA, Maruti, Hyundai, Skoda, Fiat, Ford, M&M and so on, no one offers factory fitted kits, neither they support after market kit.
Maruti have CNG kit for Alto in Delhi but not in Mumbai. :(

Hyundai Santro & Accent Both come with factory fitted CNG & they service it as well

tj123 · 24th December 2009, 16:23

Pan India availability of CNG & Auto LPG fuels is the main impeding factor for launching new models.

Manufactures don’t see a good market for factory fitted kits as most of our tier one & 2 cities don’t have CNG /limited LPG refilling stations.

Hence getting good volumes and ROI on such models is always doubtful.

23rd December 2009, 10:55	#1
mrkanitkar BHPian Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Pune Posts: 224 Thanked: 12 Times	Why we don't get factory fitted CNG / LPG kits in India? It's long time now, we have CNG/LPG kits available and working well. If you go to market to buy new car with CNG/LPG, you don't have much choice. Last week I was shopping for car for my inlaws, they wanted to have new car running on CNG in Mumbai. We left with Santro, Accent both have LPG as model and CNG as kit. Alto CNG is only available in Delhi & NCR, that too as kit. Wagon R available with LPG as fatory fitted one. Indica have CNG with dealer network only in Delhi & NCR. No other cars in A, B, C, D segments are having CNG/ LPG option. rr If we go with CNG kits from market, car companies do not extend warranty. The models available with factory fitted LPG as low end models. Any reason why car manufacturers are not serious about launching CNG/ LPG factory fitted models or supporting with warranty if customer wants kit from market?
	() Thanks

23rd December 2009, 12:54	#2
windsurfer BHPian Join Date: May 2006 Location: Dundee, UK Posts: 513 Thanked: 25 Times	Cedia is another option. Does spark not have this option?
	() Thanks

23rd December 2009, 12:56	#3
SamtheLeo BHPian Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Melbourne Posts: 451 Thanked: 26 Times	There are many brands & models which are coming with factory fitted.. Maruti Hyundai Tata Mitsubushi to name few
	() Thanks

23rd December 2009, 13:07	#4
cadaver_prad BHPian Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 218 Thanked: 18 Times	LPG and CNG still suffer with the reputation of being harmful to the engine and of being high maintenance. iI drive an ikon 1.6 wit a LPG kit and i do not hav any problem with it apart from tuning the kit once in 6 months and it gives me a consistent mileage of around 10-11 which is good for an ikon 1.6. I guess the company does not offer CNG from factory as the availability of the filling stations is rare.
	() Thanks

23rd December 2009, 15:16	#5
mrkanitkar BHPian Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Pune Posts: 224 Thanked: 12 Times	@SamtheLeo Maruti do not have any CNG model as factory fitted. WagonR Duo is only one low end LPG car. TATA do not have it. I done enough check in market.
	() Thanks

23rd December 2009, 15:20	#6
SamtheLeo BHPian Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Melbourne Posts: 451 Thanked: 26 Times	@ mrkanitkar I meant to say either one of the two. TATA launhed Indicab CNG. Also in Okhla, new delhi they have a tie up which can install CNG with 4 yrs warranty with out breaking company warranty as it is authorised by Tata. but charges are extra. PS : I also heard Maruti Omni in CNG is available.
	() Thanks

23rd December 2009, 15:31	#7
S1FIAT BHPian Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Pune Posts: 23 Thanked: 3 Times View My Garage	@ SamtheLeo Yes Maruti Omni has also come up with CNG variant Check this out - THE CNG OPTION And details of features - Details of Maruti Omni CNG Last edited by Eddy : 23rd December 2009 at 17:19.
	() Thanks

23rd December 2009, 15:44	#8
tj123 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: BLR Posts: 1,148 Thanked: 680 Times	Giving LPG/CNG factory fitted kits are the last bit effort by a manufacturer to push sales of an out going model (in most cases) . You will find factory fitted kits on M800, Santro, Wagon R, Accent etc. All these models are in there last stage of there product lifecycle. It’s the last bit of push by manufacturer before phasing off a model.
	() Thanks

23rd December 2009, 15:57	#9
MileCruncher Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: MH01 Posts: 4,235 Thanked: 590 Times View My Garage	@mrkanitkar: Any particular reasons you are looking at a CNG/LPG car. Is the running too high? If yes, then I would suggest to go for Diesel. If the running is low but the owner wants to have low cost/Km, then let me tell you that TCO of a LPG vehicle will be much higher than if they had stuck with a Petrol vehicle. LPG/CNG are totally dry fuels and cause much higher rate of wear and tear compared to Petrol or Diesel. And if the concerned vehicle is going to be used for only short runs, the LPG/CNG is an absolute no go as it will harm the engine adversely.
	() Thanks

23rd December 2009, 16:21	#10
mrkanitkar BHPian Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Pune Posts: 224 Thanked: 12 Times	I don't want to convert this thread in to car buying advice post. In general, we are looking for CNG car to reduce TCO. The customer want to keep the car for 8-10 yrs. Monthly running would be around 2-3.5 Kkms in Mumbai & around. We are looking for car with good features (medium- top end models) with option of factory fitted CNG or after market CNG without breaking warranty. We wanted to have lowest fuel cost per month. TATA, Maruti, Hyundai, Skoda, Fiat, Ford, M&M and so on, no one offers factory fitted kits, neither they support after market kit. Maruti have CNG kit for Alto in Delhi but not in Mumbai. :( Last edited by mrkanitkar : 23rd December 2009 at 16:24.
	() Thanks

23rd December 2009, 16:39	#11
Trust_In_Thrust BANNED Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: New Delhi Posts: 768 Thanked: 349 Times	Well if i recall correctly only DCM Daewoo Cielo had a factory fitted CNG system . All other cars are either done at dealers place or some CNG fitter's place. I think if car manufacturers were to give factory fitted CNG option than they will have to change the suspension setup , and also chassis strengthening at the back . Also i CNG is a dry fuel but i have never heard of any car engine gone bust due to CNG if maintained properly .Also it is possible that before making CNG system part of assembly lines manufacturer want some volumes to build up for CNG cars . Last edited by Trust_In_Thrust : 23rd December 2009 at 16:42.
	() Thanks

23rd December 2009, 18:44	#12
basilmabraham BHPian Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Sydney/Cochin Posts: 772 Thanked: 76 Times View My Garage	Going forward, I am sure more and more manufacturers will bring in alternative fuel cars. CNG included, hope that the future is bright for those looking for the one like this.
	() Thanks

24th December 2009, 11:24	#13
GTO Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 70,497 Thanked: 300,309 Times View My Garage	This one leaves me baffled. I mean, all our market seems to care about is FE and low of running. The percentage of diesels amongst passenger cars is shooting skyward each quarter, thanks in part to the wider choice available (including our national engine the 1.3 MJD). Why have CNG & LPG not clicked in the market? CNG is by far the cheapest fuel to run your car on. And LPG prices may have shot up in the recent past...but even when Auto LPG was cheaper, it never really clicked as much as it should have. Even with the current pricing, LPG is on par with diesel. But gives you lower cost of acquisition, refinement and the ability to switch over to petrol (when you want to high-revv . What's the real deterrent? Of course, we have a thread on that too Linky. I'm still not entirely convinced....there is a need for greater awareness. Of course, our auto manufacturers, being what they are, will only REACT (forget about pro-activeness).
	() Thanks

24th December 2009, 16:23	#15
tj123 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: BLR Posts: 1,148 Thanked: 680 Times	Pan India availability of CNG & Auto LPG fuels is the main impeding factor for launching new models. Manufactures don’t see a good market for factory fitted kits as most of our tier one & 2 cities don’t have CNG /limited LPG refilling stations. Hence getting good volumes and ROI on such models is always doubtful.
	() Thanks