Suzuki to start production of flex-fuel vehicles in India in FY26

Suzuki Motor Corporation plans to start mass production of flex-fuel vehicles (FFV) in India within this fiscal year, the Japanese carmaker said in a technology strategy briefing filed with the stock exchanges.

“All motorcycle and automobile (car) models are now compatible with E20 fuel, mass production of FFV models for motorcycles has already started, and development is underway to launch FFV models for automobiles within this fiscal year,” the carmaker said.

In India, Suzuki started introducing E20 bioethanol-compatible engines this April, and plans to launch FFVs that support up to 85% bioethanol within this fiscal year. “We’re also building CBG plants and adapting our CNG vehicles to carbon-neutral fuels,” the carmaker said.

Automakers displayed and showcased flex-fuel vehicles which can run on up to 85% blend of ethanol at the Bharat Mobility Expo in Delhi in January 2025. “There is a lot of encouragement from the government to look at flex fuel vehicles because that will increase the off-take of ethanol which will result in higher off-take of farm products, leading to betterment of the farm community,” Rajesh Menon, the director general of Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), told this reporter earlier this year.

Suzuki said it is developing high-efficiency internal-combustion engines that use carbon-neutral fuels such as compressed biogas (CBG) and bioethanol. “This is one of our main pillars. The other is electrification technologies and hybrid systems that combine them. This multi-pathway approach has been our strategy and will continue to be,” it said.

The development of flex-fuel vehicles comes amid a furore over the government’s ethanol-blended petrol programme. The government had preponed its 20% ethanol blending target to 2025 from 2030 earlier.

In August, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas clarified that 20% ethanol-blended petrol (E20) causes a marginal decrease in fuel efficiency which can be minimised through improved engine tuning.

This came after social media users reported a drop in their vehicles’ fuel efficiency in recent months as fuel pumps across the country started selling E20 petrol from earlier this year.

“Ethanol, being lower in energy density than petrol, results in a marginal decrease in mileage, estimated at 1–2% for four-wheelers designed for E10 and calibrated for E20, and around 3–6% in others,” the petroleum ministry said.