Maruti Suzuki has launched the Wagon R Flex Fuel in India at an ex-showroom price of Rs 7.24 lakh. The new variant is based on the top-spec ZXi Plus trim and comes with a 5-speed manual gearbox. However, the flex-fuel version is currently available only for the commercial sector. This means private buyers will not be able to purchase it for now.

The Wagon R Flex Fuel is priced Rs 86,000 higher than the regular Wagon R ZXi Plus petrol variant, which costs Rs 6.38 lakh (ex-showroom).

This new model has a 1.2-litre flex-fuel petrol engine. The engine can run on ethanol-blended fuel and is homologated for up to E85 fuel, although Maruti says it is technically compatible with blends up to E100. Despite the changes made to support ethanol fuel, the engine produces the same 91 PS of power and 114 Nm of torque as the standard petrol version.

The Wagon R Flex Fuel looks almost identical to the regular model. The main visual differences are Flex Fuel decals on the sides and a Flex Fuel badge on the tailgate. The hatchback continues with the familiar tall-boy design, halogen headlamps, alloy wheels, and vertical taillamps.

The interior also remains unchanged. It gets a dual-tone dashboard, a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system, steering-mounted controls, power windows, and electrically adjustable and folding ORVMs.

The feature list includes wired Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, a four-speaker audio system, manual air conditioning, built-in navigation, and a tilt-adjustable steering wheel.

On the safety front, Maruti Suzuki has equipped the Wagon R Flex Fuel with six airbags, electronic stability program (ESP), ABS with EBD, hill hold assist, rear parking sensors, seatbelt reminders for all occupants, and speed-sensing door locks.

The launch makes the Wagon R India’s first mass-market flex-fuel passenger vehicle. The move is part of the government’s push towards ethanol-based fuels to reduce dependence on imported crude oil and increase the use of domestically produced ethanol.

While the technology offers greater flexibility in fuel choice, the higher price and commercial-only availability could limit its adoption in the short term. More importantly, ethanol-blended fuels currently do not offer a clear running-cost advantage over petrol in many parts of the country, making the value proposition less attractive for buyers.