India’s Maruti to Fight Order to Replace Car Over Ethanol Damage

Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. said it will challenge a consumer court order asking the nation’s largest carmaker to replace a vehicle over alleged damage from ethanol-blended fuel, a case that assumes significance as the debate over the nation’s biofuel push intensifies.

(Bloomberg) — Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. said it will challenge a consumer court order asking the nation’s largest carmaker to replace a vehicle over alleged damage from ethanol-blended fuel, a case that assumes significance as the debate over the nation’s biofuel push intensifies. The car mentioned in the case was already compatible with the so-called E20 fuel — gasoline blended with 20% ethanol, according to a statement from the Indian unit of Japan’s Suzuki Motor Corp. Thursday. The company will “take necessary steps to challenge the impugned order before appropriate higher forum in accordance with law,” it said.

“There is evidence of contamination in the fuel collected from the customer’s vehicle,” the company said. “Several other relevant facts have also not been reflected in the order.” The order by the local court follows weeks of complaints on social media claiming that the blend reduced fuel efficiency, increased maintenance bills and caused engine corrosion.

Biofuels have been a signature policy for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. India met its target of blending 20% ethanol into gasoline five years ahead of schedule in 2025 and is evaluating a further increase in the mandate. Energy supply disruptions caused by the US-Iran war has prompted other countries, including Indonesia and Vietnam, to push such alternatives.

The consumer court in Raipur in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh ordered Maruti Suzuki to replace the vehicle with a new one that is compatible with E20 fuel after the buyer reported repeated engine problems. The carmakers and the government have dismissed concerns about E20 as unfounded, and said that the blend underwent extensive testing before its nationwide rollout. The Indian police have registered complaints against some influencers over E20 claims, local media reported.

Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari have repeatedly defended ethanol blending and attributed concerns to misinformation.