The Government of India is trying hard to wriggle out the problem of rising import bills as well as a ballooning deicit. Attempts are underway to deregulate diesel prices, but surprisingly Maruti-Suzuki still notices a silver lining in diesel powerplants.
Lately, it has become apparent that Maruti is working on a slew of its indegeniously diesel engines that will power its next generation of cars.
Till date, Maruti-Suzuki has been heavily dependent (and successful) on Fiat’s 1.3 Litre MultiJet diesel engines. Even though Fiat’s MultiJet engines are worth all the applause, they have prevented Maruti-Suzuki from providing a wider portfolio of diesel engine sizes. And they probably have bit Maruti-Suzuki financially in these turbulent times.
Kenichi Ayukawa, MD, Maruti Suzuki, has confirmed this development and according to him, rising diesel prices could act as a dampener on the plan to spawn a lineup of diesel powerplants. However, he felt diesel-powered cars will still have enough demand in the future, enough to justify their plans for a new lineup of engines.
Maruti Suzuki is could be working on a family of 3-4 diesel engines ranging from a 2-cylinder, 800 cc mill, that will power the light commercial vehicle (LCV) codenamed (Y9T) and a small car YL7 (Next-Gen A-Star), a 3-cylinder – 1.2-litre engine as well as a 4-cylinder engine that could spawn out two different cubic capacity of 1.4-litre and 1.6-litre engines. These engines may find use in the upcoming bigger sedans (New SX4 replacement) and crossovers for Suzuki.
The diesel engines will be developed in close accordance with the Indian R&D arm of the company. Interestingly, the 1.3 MultiJet engines from Fiat will continue to be used (How can they let it go!).
The plans for its own diesel engine lineup started few years back, when Fiat snubbed Maruti-Suzuki’s demand for a 1.6 Litre MultiJet diesel powerplant (which will debut in India on New Fiat Linea next year). There on began a rush to develop a slew of diesel-powered mills. It is being said that the 800 cc mill has reached prototype stage, and suppliers are now wokrking closely alongside the engineers.
The 800 cc mill could be a probable candidate for the next-gen A-Star that has been spied quite a few times. Do you feel that an extended option of diesel mills will help Maruti-Suzuki expand its turf, or let’s say defend it..! More importantly, will you buy your next Maruti if it comes with indigenious diesel engine?
Also Read: SPIED: Maruti’s SX4 Replacement “YL1″ Caught Testing Again; Looks Imposing!
