Maruti will continue selling diesel vehicles, BS6 compliant 1.5-litre engine launch in 2021.
In the fear of losing out on market share from the rivals, Maruti Suzuki has decided to continue selling diesel vehicles. Hyundai, Mahindra, Tata Motors and Honda are upgrading their diesel engines to meet the BS6 emission norms.
Maruti Suzuki had decided almost a year back that they will stop selling diesel vehicles post April 1, 2020. Majority of their lineup was powered by the Fiat sourced 1.3-litre diesel which the Italian manufacturer is not upgrading to BS6.
Maruti believed that offering diesel engine with small cars won’t be viable anymore. Also, the volumes to justify upgrading 1.5-litre BS6 diesel were too less. Maruti had planned to offer CNG and hybrid powertrains instead of diesel. However, India’s largest carmaker is changing their decision on ditching diesel vehicles.
The company has started the development process of upgrading the 1.5-litre diesel to meet BS6 emission norms. It will be introduced late in the party by 2021. Some of the first vehicles to get the upgraded oil burner will be Ciaz, Ertiga and S-Cross.
The updated Vitara Brezza will also get the BS6 diesel along with a new 7-seater version of it. Maruti Suzuki will share the BS6 compliant 1.5-litre diesel with Toyota cars as well to justify the investment made.
They sold around 5,00,000 units of diesel cars in 2018-19. Which is likely to fall to 2,50,000-3,00,000 units this fiscal. Once they introduce the 1.5-litre BS6 diesel, they expect the volumes to come back to 5,00,000 units, including the cars sold in partnership with Toyota.
Maruti Diesel Vehicles
– Maruti considering to continue selling diesel vehicles
– Fears on missing out market share
– BS6 compliant 1.5-litre diesel under development for 2021 launch
Source – TheEconomicTimes.com