The move from BS4 to BS6 Emission Norms was a tough exercise for many automakers in the country. One of the fallouts from the new stringent emission norms adaption was the discontinuation of diesel cars by Maruti Suzuki in India. Now, according to a media publication report, we might see the country's largest automobile company bring back diesel engines next year. Despite Maruti Suzuki ceasing production of diesel-powered cars in India, other rivals like Kia, Hyundai, Tata, and Mahindra continue to bring diesel-powered vehicles in the form of SUVs and MPVs.
Maruti Suzuki’s Manesar plant is currently being upgraded to produce BS6 compliant diesel engines from next year. The first vehicles to get the new diesel powerplants would be the Ertiga and Vitara Brezza in the country. On basis of their introduction, the brand will further see the demand for diesel run cars depending upon which they could further expand their product portfolio with the respective oil mill. The sudden change in plan can be attributed to the success of new diesel-powered models like Kia Sonet, New-Gen Hyundai i20, and 2020 Mahindra Thar in Indian market. This might have forced Maruti Suzuki to rethink its strategy of launching only petrol-powered models here. Its nearest rival Hyundai continues to offer diesel engines with successful products like 2020 Creta, Venue and Verna. Also, other major automobile manufacturers like Tata and Toyota continue to offer diesel variants for their MPV and SUV. This all would have been factored in Maruti Suzuki's decision to unleash diesel-powered cars in the Indian market from next year onwards.
The Manesar manufacturing facility is quite suitable for developing new BS6 engines considering it was used in the past to produce BS4 compliant 1500cc diesel engines. Before completely discontinuing its diesel line-up in India, the automobile brand had pulled the plug on mid-sized sedan Ciaz and Ertiga. Other models like Vitara Brezza, Baleno, Swift were powered by Fiat-sourced 1.3-litre diesel unit. Currently, Maruti Suzuki’s engine line-up in India consists of BS6 compliant 1.0-litre, 1.2-litre and 1.5-litre petrol engines. Also, the brand offers CNG options in cars like WagonR, Alto, Ertiga, Celerio and S-Presso.
Source: ETAuto