How Maruti Plans to Outclass Tata, Hyundai With A Neat New Trick
Maruti Suzuki became India's largest carmaker soon after it entered the market in 1981. The Indo-Japanese giant has since managed to keep the top spot to itself, often outsmarting other volume players by huge margins. In the most recent development, we are expecting it to launch an SUV on September 3, which could potentially set new benchmarks in the segment. It is called 'Escudo' internally. Latest reports suggest that it will have a CNG version that will come with one neat trick to outclass CNG models from Tata Motors and Hyundai- an underbody CNG tank!
Maruti Suzuki is a leader in the CNG space. 13 of its 16 model portfolio have CNG versions on sale. Most of these enjoy huge acceptance as well. All these models come with the CNG tank (cylinder) placed in the boot. This setup eats up most of the usable boot space.
Manufacturers like Tata Motors and Hyundai have devised a smart workaround for this- packing the CNG into two small, interconnected cylinders instead of using one large cylinder, and placing them smartly to generate usable boot space.
This definitely made things better, but since these cylinders are placed inside the boot, the larger impact is rather limited in many models. Having an underbody tank will solve this issue completely. It will make the vehicle offer almost as much boot space as a regular car/SUV of its size would do. "The new SUV has an underbody CNG tank. This has been done to free up more space in the boot," a source reportedly told Money Control.
Maruti Suzuki's S-CNG technology is claimed to be the best in the business. Even in volumes, the carmaker enjoys huge margins over rivals. The new move seems to be the carmaker addressing the consumer concerns about the lack of usable boot space. Most CNG cars from Maruti Suzuki are deployed in roles which demand them to have practical boot spaces. These concerns are certainly valid.
We are yet to learn the name of the new underbody tank-based CNG technology. What we do know is that these vehicles will be fitted with these tanks right from the production line. This would mean complete integration and not retrofitment (or dealer-level installation).
The engine, transmission, suspension and brakes will all be calibrated for CNG right from the beginning. This is expected to bring notable differences in the way this vehicle drives. The underbody tank could simply be the biggest tech innovation for Maruti's CNG products, and if pulled off well, could make it to other models as well.
*Representational image
In addition to the new CNG tech, the Escudo (or the Y17 SUV) will come packed with several other features and technologies as well. It will be the first Maruti Suzuki model to get Level 2 ADAS, a powered tailgate and Dolby Atmos. It is expected to borrow its powertrains from the Grand Vitara and will be sold through Arena dealerships when launched.
Maruti's CNG Journey So Far
Maruti Suzuki began their CNG journey with just three models- Eeco, Alto and WagonR. The last continues to sell in huge numbers even today. In 2025, the company's CNG portfolio has 13 models. Tata and Hyundai, its key rivals in the space, have much smaller portfolios having just five and three members in length.
Data from automotive analytics and consulting firm JATO Dynamics shows that Maruti Suzuki sold 5,94,166 CNG cars in FY25 and enjoys a market share of 70.8%. During the same fiscal, Tata's volumes stood at 1,39,205 units (a market share of 16.6%) and Hyundai posted sales of 79,266 units ( with a much lower market share of 9.4%)
Via Money Control