After launching the BS-VI compliant model of Baleno premium hatchback in the Indian market, India’s largest automaker Maruti Suzuki has now updated the Dzire sub-4 meter compact sedan to comply with the upcoming strict safety norms. The upcoming BS-VI emission norms state that all the cars sold in the Indian market after April 2020 will have to comply with new emission standards. Therefore, all the makers in India are either working on or updating their models in the market to comply with the norms before April 1, 2020. Maruti Suzuki’s first model to be updated was the Baleno DualJet that was launched a few weeks ago. As far as other models of the brand are concerned, WagonR, Alto K10, and Swift also comply with BS-VI emission norms as of now.
Apart from the BS-VI update, the company has also updated the Dzire sedan to comply with the upcoming AIS-145 safety regulations. As per these safety regulations the sub-4 meter compact sedan from the brand receives updates like the front seatbelt reminder, speed warning system, and rear parking sensors. These safety regulations will be mandatory for all cars in the Indian market from 1 July, 2019. The Maruti Dzire already comes with ABS and airbags as standard across the range.
The addition of new safety and emission norms compliance means that the Maruti Dzire now gets pricier in the range of Rs. 12,000 to Rs, 15,000. However, this price hike is applicable for petrol model only as the diesel model has not been updated as the BS-VI emission norms and there are no changes on the diesel model apart from the AIS-145 safety norms upgrade. Therefore, the price hike for diesel models of Dzire is in the range of Rs. 3,000 to Rs. 7,000.
The unchanged diesel models is in line with the company’s plan to stop production of diesel engine cars for Indian market post BS-VI emission norms kick in. However, the brand has also stated that the production halt of the diesel models can also be temporary and diesel models can once again be produced by the brand if the demand for the same remains high in the market. So it would be unwise to cross off the diesel models from the brand as of now. Other mechanical aspects of the petrol model of Dzire are unchanged. The petrol engine still is a 1.2L 4-pot unit rated to deliver 82 Bhp and 113 Nm. The engine is paired to either a 5 speed manual or AMT automatic transmission.