We are just months away from the launch of two new petrol-hybrid vehicles from Maruti Suzuki – the Vitara Brezza sub-4-meter compact SUV and the S-Cross crossover. Both the Brezza and S-Cross – which are presently diesel-only cars, will get the 1.5-liter petrol mild hybrid powertrain by December 2019. This has been confirmed by Maruti Suzuki’s executive director for sales and marketing, Mr. Shashank Srivastava, through an interview to ET. The 1.5-liter K-Series petrol mild hybrid engine makes 106 Bhp-138 Nm, and is already on offer in three Maruti Suzuki cars – the Ciaz, Ertiga and the XL6. This engine gets 5 speed manual and 4 speed torque converter automatic gearboxes on the above cars. The same options are likely to be offered on the petrol hybrid versions of the Maruti Brezza and S-Cross.
Sales of the S-Cross and Brezza have fallen over the past few months as competition has increased steeply, and these compact SUVs have borne the brunt of not having a petrol engine option when many buyers are seeking such an option. Once the petrol mild hybrid options are available on both these vehicles, sales are likely to pick up.
As for pricing, the petrol mild hybrid versions of both the Maruti Brezza and S-Cross are likely to be lower than that of diesel engine trims, again a good reason for customers to opt for petrol. Also, they will be Bharat Stage 6 emission norms compliant. What remains to be seen is whether Maruti will continue to offer the 1.3-liter Fiat MultiJet turbocharged diesel engine on these cars till the April 2020 deadline, or whether the engine will be discontinued as soon as the petrol motor is introduced.
This is because non BS6 cars will not be registered in India from April 2020, and most car makers are expected to liquidate non-BS6 car stock well ahead of the deadline. So, if you’re in the market for a diesel powered Maruti Brezza or S-Cross, the time to buy one is now. You need not worry about sourcing spare parts for these cars for at least another 10 years as lots of Fiat MultiJet engine cars are on the road. Moreover, Maruti Suzuki, like all other car makers is obliged to provide spares for 10 years after a car model is discontinued by law. Also, there are big discounts of over Rs. 1 lakh running on both the S-Cross and Brezza Diesels. So, buying a diesel engine Brezza or S-Cross is a good idea before the end of the year.