Maruti Suzuki Discontinues 1.3L Diesel Engine Variant of Ertiga MPV in India

Maruti Suzuki has already made it clear that it intends to stay away from the diesel car market in the BS-VI era, at least for the initial time period. Therefore, the interim period before April 1, 2020 will see the maker make massive changes to its model line-up in the Indian market. In the latest bid to move toward an all-petrol line up in the BS-VI era, the largest maker of India has discontinued the 1.3L diesel variant of their best-selling MPV, the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga, in the Indian market. To be clear, the maker will still offer the diesel option with Ertiga in the market. This will be the newly developed 1.5L diesel unit from the brand that was recently brought to the Ertiga in India. However, this would mean that the bottom end of the diesel variant of Ertiga will now become pricier by around a lakh rupees as the 1.5L diesel Ertiga starts at Rs. 9.86 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).

Talking about the 1.5L diesel engine being offered with the Ertiga right now, this engine had been recently developed by the company and does not comes paired with the mild-hybrid technology (SVHS) of the brand. However, the new engine is more powerful than the now discontinued 1.3L diesel engine. The prices for Ertiga 1.5 starts at Rs. 9.86 lakhs, ex-showroom Delhi. Whereas the top model with the 1.5L engine is priced at Rs. 11.20 lakhs, ex-showroom Delhi. The company has already said that the top model of the MPV constitutes more than a third of the total sales of the car.

With the Ertiga now being sold only with the newly developed 1.5L diesel engine, the output of the MPV has been bumped up to 94 PS and 225 Nm. The mileage for the new engine variant of Ertiga is rated at 24.2 kmpl. The transmission duties of the engine are handled by a 6 speed manual gearbox. The company also states that the presence of a better turbocharger in the MPV ensures that the driver will face minimal turbo lag.

Maruti Suzuki had brought a model replacement for Ertiga only last year and the new model is based on the lightweight HEARTECT platform of the company. The new Ertiga also comes with revamped interiors and a restyled body. Apart from the fresh design the MPV is also more spacious and plush than before. There are price overlaps between Ertiga and Mahindra Marazzo but Maruti Ertiga pulls ahead in sales with the market share of 39% in the segment. The company is also planning to launch a more premium 6-seater variant of the MPV in India in August. This variant will come with two captain seats in the middle row. The more premium variant will probably be sold through the NEXA dealerships of the brand and will be called the XL6.