Maruti Swift, Dzire, Baleno Automatic S-CNG Launched From ₹7.92 Lakh — Mileage Up To 36.47 km/kg

Maruti Suzuki Launches India's First Automatic CNG Hatchbacks and Sedan

Maruti Suzuki has launched automatic S-CNG versions of the Swift, Dzire and Baleno under a new initiative it calls the Auto Green Mission, making it the first carmaker to pair factory-fitted CNG with an automatic gearbox across three bestsellers at once. The Swift S-CNG AMT starts at ₹7.92 lakh, the Baleno S-CNG AMT at ₹8.32 lakh and the Dzire S-CNG AMT at ₹8.53 lakh, all ex-showroom. The automatic commands roughly ₹35,000 over the equivalent manual CNG variant, and Tata Motors remains the only other maker offering this combination, on the Tiago, Tigor and Altroz.

All three cars use the 1.2-litre Z12E petrol engine with Dual VVT and idle start-stop, paired with a five-speed Auto Gear Shift transmission. In CNG mode the engine produces 69.75 PS and 101.8 Nm, against 82.93 PS and 112.4 Nm in petrol mode. The 55-litre water-capacity CNG tank sits inside the boot, which means luggage space takes a hit and the Swift and Dzire lose their spare wheel. Interestingly, the AMT versions claim higher efficiency than their manual counterparts — the Dzire S-CNG AMT's 36.47 km/kg makes it, by Maruti's claim, India's most fuel-efficient sedan.

The Swift and Dzire are sold through Arena dealerships and the Baleno through Nexa, but the mechanical package is identical across the trio, and the feature lists mirror the equivalent petrol trims of each model.

The launch comes on the back of record CNG demand. Maruti's S-CNG sales rose 58 per cent year-on-year in the April-June quarter, and July 2026 was its best-ever month with about 83,000 CNG vehicles sold. Senior Executive Officer, Marketing and Sales, Partho Banerjee said the automatic option "opens CNG to a segment that was previously unaddressed" — buyers who wanted CNG running costs but would not give up two-pedal convenience in city traffic.

The company has also raised its full-year ambition: it now targets close to 1 million green vehicle sales — CNG, hybrid and electric combined — this financial year, up from an earlier projection of 8-9 lakh units, helped by crude oil hovering around USD 100 a barrel. Maruti holds about 70 per cent of India's passenger CNG market and sells close to 80,000 CNG vehicles a month, with supply, not demand, described as the current constraint.

What This Means For You

For city commuters doing high kilometre runs, this is arguably the cheapest per-kilometre automatic package on sale today. The trade-off is boot space and reduced power on CNG — worth a test drive before booking.

(Sources: Maruti Suzuki press release via Fortune India, PTI media roundtable via Daily Excelsior and Rediff, CarWale, Motoroids, 18-19 September 2026. Images: Wikimedia Commons — current-generation Suzuki Swift, CC BY-SA 4.0; Suzuki Dzire 2024, CC BY-SA 4.0; Maruti Suzuki Baleno, CC BY 3.0. Prices ex-showroom.)