Renault joins bandwagon of CNG carmakers in India, but there is a catch…

Renault has joined the bandwagon of carmakers in India that have been selling passenger vehicles with a petrol-CNG powertrain. With this, Maruti Suzuki has joined the list of automakers which include Tata Motors, Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai. This move comes at a time when the demand for petrol-CNG powertrains has been rising fast across India, owing to the high price of petrol and the significantly cheaper cost of ownership CNG offers to car owners compared to petrol or diesel.

The French auto giant has started offering its customers CNG kit retrofitment options for Kwid, Kiger and Triber models. This means any customer buying a Renault Kwid, Kiger or Triber can install a CNG kit at a premium while purchasing the vehicle. For this, the Renault Kwid buyers have to shell out ₹75,000 extra, while consumers of the Kiger and Triber have to spend ₹79,500 extra. Interestingly, the introduction of the CNG retrofitment option comes immediately after Renault updated its Kiger and Triber models‘ lower variants with new features.

(Also read: Upcoming cars in India)

CNG retrofitment available on all variants but not everywhere

The CNG retrofitment kit comes available for all the variants of the Kwid, Kiger and Triber, except the automatic transmission and turbocharged engine-powered variants. The CNG kit retrofitting will be carried out through a preferred vendor of the OEM using a homologated kit that claims to meet all safety and performance standards. Also, the automaker has stated that CNG kit retrofitment will not impact the driving performance of these vehicles. Renault has further stated that the CNG retrofitment cars will come with a three-year warranty.

However, this retrofitment of the CNG kit will not be available pan India initially. Renault will offer the CNG kit retrofitment to the buyer of these three cars in states like Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Gujarat and Maharashtra initially. Initially, it will be available in 65 per cent of the Indian market and subsequently cover 100 per cent in the coming months.