- CNG prices increase by Rs 3.5 per kg within a month

- CNG is now priced at Rs 89.50 per kg in Mumbai

Mahanagar Gas has announced the most recent price increment for CNG in Mumbai. Witnessing a hike of Rs 3.5 per kg as against the last increment in October, buying CNG will now set you back Rs 89.50 per kg.

While one could get CNG for Rs 49.40 per kg in February 2021, the past 21 months have seen its prices increase by an astounding 81 per cent.

However, CNG still provides better fuel efficiency than petrol. The significant price difference between gasoline and diesel, even though it has now drastically decreased, it has been one of the most persuasive arguments for owners of CNG-powered vehicles. For context, the ARAI claimed fuel efficiency of the Tata Tiago in the petrol manual is 20kmpl. In contrast, the CNG manual returns 26.4km/kg. Similarly, the petrol manual Maruti Suzuki Baleno has a claimed fuel efficiency of 22.3kmpl, while the recently launched Baleno CNG has a claimed fuel efficiency of 30.61km/kg.

As of 5 November, the price of petrol in Mumbai is Rs 106.29 per litre, and the price of diesel is Rs 94.25 per litre, which has remained constant for nearly 3 months. Now, the price difference between CNG and petrol is Rs 16.79, while it is only Rs 4.75 between CNG and diesel; the price difference between petrol and diesel has fallen below the Rs 20 mark for the first time. With continuing price hikes of CNG, the price benefits which CNG vehicle users and manufacturers enjoyed before are now sharply reducing.

Nonetheless, because of the high prices of petrol and diesel, sales of CNG-powered vehicles have increased in recent years, and major OEMs such as Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai, and Tata have expanded their CNG portfolios. In fact, Maruti Suzuki India recently increased its factory-fitted CNG model lineup to 12 models with the addition of the Baleno and XL6.

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