Maruti Suzuki India Ltd will launch India's first flex-fuel car that can run on up to 100% ethanol on June 5, 2026, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari said on May 23.

India’s largest carmaker by volume is expected to launch a flex-fuel version of its popular tall-boy hatchback WagonR on the World Environment Day next month.

This follows the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways’ move in April to include E100 (pure ethanol) under automobile testing and certification norms, clearing the path for the introduction of pure ethanol-powered vehicles.

“We have the technology, whether it is for ethanol blending increase or for flex-fuel vehicles. We have the technology and we'll support the government whenever the need arises,” Rahul Bharti, Senior Executive Officer, Corporate Affairs at Maruti Suzuki, said during the company’s quarterly earnings call following the announcement of its fourth-quarter results. Bharti, however, noted that flex-fuel vehicles are unlikely to generate significant volumes in the near term due to the limited availability of such models and the need for a nationwide network of dispensing pumps.

“We need more models. We need parity between ethanol and petrol price. So all those factors will take some time for flex-fuels to develop. So it is like a futuristic plan. The volumes will be minimal at this stage. It will grow, say, 5 years to 10 years from now, it will become a meaningful volume, nothing immediately,” he explained during the analyst call.

Industry executives estimate that modifying vehicles to run on higher ethanol-blended fuels could raise costs by roughly ₹40,000-50,000 per vehicle initially, though the impact is expected to differ across models and manufacturers.

The introduction of the flex-fuel-compatible Maruti Suzuki WagonR will mark the first instance of an automaker entering the segment before the corresponding fuel becomes commercially available. Although several flex-fuel car concepts were displayed at the Bharat Mobility Expo 2025, none has yet been commercially launched.

A few Japanese automakers, including Suzuki and Honda, already sell flex-fuel motorcycles in India, though neither company has disclosed whether there is meaningful demand for such vehicles in the absence of E85 and E100 fuel availability.

Meanwhile, the government is evaluating a proposal to increase the mandatory ethanol blending level in petrol beyond the existing E20 benchmark. According to industry executives, discussions are underway to gradually raise the blend level to E21, E22 and potentially E25. The move would affect all existing vehicles currently on the road.

Published on: May 23, 2026 9:13 PM IST