Suzuki is developing two new diesel engines – 1.6-litre and 1.5-litre based on the 800cc engine. The former engine is for the European market while the latter is for India.
Maruti Suzuki sells a lot of vehicles across various segments in India. The auto giant has a number of petrol engines in its portfolio but where the company has been lacking is in the diesel engine segment. Maruti currently uses only one diesel engine in all its diesel vehicles like the Swift, Ritz, Swift DZire, Ertiga and the newly launched Ciaz. The 1.3-litre DDiS Multijet engine is sourced from Fiat. The oil-burner might be good for reliability and fuel economy but now it is clear that competition is seriously marching ahead by bringing in powerful engines of higher capacities.
Suzuki has been developing a new 800cc diesel engine for its small offerings since a while. Now it has been learnt that the company is also designing and developing two more 4-cylinder diesel engines that will be based on the same 800cc engine. The two engines will be 1.6-litre and 1.5-litre units. The former is meant for the European market while the latter is meant exclusively for India. We will see the next generation Ertiga getting the new 1.5-litre diesel unit. Even the Ciaz facelift, which might be launched by 2017 will get the new engine. Maruti’s future MPV and SUV too have a high possibility of getting this engine.
The price gap between petrol and diesel is decreasing now. Manufacturers also charge a huge premium for diesel variants over their petrol counterparts. People are again changing their orientation towards petrol vehicles but Maruti thinks that despite all this, diesel vehicles will still witness great demand in the future. Suzuki felt the need to develop its own diesel engine family in 2009-10. The new engines are being developed with the help of Maruti’s R&D department. The royalty for the new engine will be decided later on.
