Maruti Suzuki has said that it is ready to challenge Raipur District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission’s verdict on Thursday, which ordered the car manufacturer to replace a consumer’s Hybrid Zeta Plus.
Maruti Suzuki claimed that the issue was caused by contaminated E20 fuel and not due to the company’s manufacturing defects.
The court had asked the manufacturer to replace the consumer’s car with an E20-compatible model or refund the full purchase amount of ₹20,50,494 after the plaintiff filed a case claiming that ethanol-blended fuel had ruined his vehicle. Being the first ruling in light of the ongoing E20 controversy, the order is expected to be significant, as it can empower other consumers with similar complaints.
According to the commission’s findings, the vehicle’s engine had gradually deteriorated, and the dashboard displayed an engine warning; Suzuki failed to clarify whether the car was compatible with the ethanol-blended fuel. However, the company argues that it is mentioned in the owner’s manual.
"The car in this case was an E20 compatible car, fully equipped to handle E20 fuel and so disclosed in the owner’s manual," the company stated.
During the trial, the company defended their stance, saying that there was evidence of fuel contamination from the sample collected from the consumer’s car and that several other factors were not taken into consideration.
The plaintiff, Dr Premraj Devta of Raipur, had approached the consumer court with allegations that E20 petrol had damaged the consumer’s Grand Vitara Strong Hybrid Zeta Plus, claiming that his vehicle now required multiple fuel changes, frequent tank cleaning and showed a lower mileage performance after using the new fuel.
The case is in line with the recent controversy surrounding the government’s mandatory E20 petrol rollout. Critics claim that E20 petrol can significantly reduce mileage. Others claim that the Indian automotive industry did not receive enough time to develop and research flex-fuel cars, which can use either hydrous ethanol, pure petrol, or a mix of both.
