Maruti Wagon R Flex Fuel Unveiled: India’s First E85 Car Cuts Emissions By 79%

On June 4, 2026, Maruti Suzuki revealed the flex-fuel version of the Maruti Suzuki Waggon R, in the presence of Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari and Hardeep Singh Puri, which supports E85 fuel, a blend of 85% ethanol and 15% petrol. They are yet to announce what it will cost to buy, but we anticipate that it will retail similarly to the original Waggon R that is available for sale with an ex-showroom price of 4.99 to 6.95 lakh rupees.

The Suzuki Motor Corporation’s Indian subsidiary Maruti Suzuki showcased its Bharat Mobility Expo 2024, and after two years of that, they have come up with the product-ready model. In terms of design and exterior, it is the same as the one revealed as a concept. Notably, there is no dimensional change, nor any interior; the only new thing in it is that the now-existing internal combustion engine is tweaked to make it compatible with E85 fuel.

They are to reveal what changes have been made in its ICE so it can burn high-ethanol blend fuel conventionally to give a smooth driving experience without jerking. We all are aware of the fact that ethanol is highly corrosive, which slowly destroys the trims upon contact, leading to fuel impurity that can significantly affect the fuel burning inside the engine.

Reportedly, to tackle this very problem, the carmaker has upgraded the valve and seal; basically, they have swapped the engine valves, internal components, and rubber seals with moisture- and corrosion-resistant materials, which degrade slower.

Other upgrades are that now they have lined the fuel pipe with tough material to ensure that it doesn’t get damaged or rusted, and compared to petrol, the ethanol burns differently, which can alter the temperature, so they have wrapped the pipe’s outer part with a heat-resistant layer to ensure that the fuel remains at the right temperature and it won’t get affected by the engine’s heat.

Besides these changes, the carmaker has replaced the traditional fuel injector with the one which has a higher capacity of injecting the fuel because high-ethanol blended fuels need a high volume of fuel to burn efficiently.

It is important to understand the Maruti Suzuki Waggon R’s flex-fuel version just showcased, and it is very unlikely that they will start the sale of the car in the Indian market even by late 2026 because flex-fuel is yet to be available across the country.

As of now, only 50 to 100 refuelling stations in India, including the Mumbai-Nagpur corridor and the Delhi-NCR region, provide the flex fuel. The Government of India has aimed to increase the number up to 5,000 by late 2027, and if able to do so by then, they will expand it rapidly across the nation.

Reportedly, the carmaker will first make it available for fleet operators, and then it may be available for sale for private use. Not yet officially confirmed, but there’s a high speculation that Maruti Suzuki may officially start the sale of the flex-fuel version of the Waggon R, probably in 2028, because by then, the government may have expanded E85 file availability across the nation. 

Notably, on June 5, 2026, the day on which Environment Day is celebrated, Maruti Suzuki is all set to unveil the second flex-fuel car, Maruti Suzuki Fronk. Interestingly, it will be E100 compatible, meaning the flex-fuel version of the Fronx will run only on ethanol. It is likely that like Waggon R, they will also make it firstly available for fleet operators such as Ola and Uber.