Just before India enforced the then-new BS6 emission norms in April 2020, Maruti Suzuki made a big announcement. India’s largest automaker said that it will no longer be offering their popular and well-liked diesel engine in any of its cars. This was to be expected as the oil burner was only certified according to BS4 norms. Obviously, Maruti Suzuki could not just carry forward this engine without making major changes and investing millions. Instead, the automaker made a decision to simply sell petrol-only versions of all of its cars. This left many new car buyers who wanted to get a diesel-powered Maruti Suzuki car disappointed.
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Eventually, Maruti Suzuki came to the realization that it needs to work on a new, BS6-compliant diesel engine. With the ever-increasing price of petrol, car buyers might as well be contemplating making the switch back to diesel cars. In an emerging market like India, diesel cars played a huge role in the growth of the personal automobile. And Maruti Suzuki (in partnership with Fiat) came to heed the call of the many thousands of customers several years ago. Now, the Indian auto giant is seemingly heading the way. The engine that will be called upon to take the task will be Maruti Suzuki’s in-house 1.5-liter four-cylinder unit.
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First introduced in 2018, this 1.5-liter oil burner created its well-expected niche in the market. Its punchy yet frugal nature meant that the motor was a good fit in Maruti’s line-up of MPVs and crossovers. Of course, the diesel variants of their respective cars were priced markedly higher than their petrol counterparts. But then prospective buyers appreciated the strong driving characteristics and high reliability of this powerplant. Once it is ready, the upcoming BS6-compliant diesel engine will continue with these two fortes. Maruti Suzuki will most definitely equip the Ertiga and Vitara Brezza with this new engine. Moreover, the S-Cross and XL6 might be powered by this same motor as well.
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In its BS4 guise, this 1.5-liter four-banger was aligned with a 6-speed manual gearbox as standard. By the time it actually hits the market, Maruti Suzuki will hopefully worked on some teething issues. Earlier, the engine was reported to have some vibrations that did not meet initial expectations. However, that will likely not be as bad once this newer version becomes official. On the cost front, expect this new BS6 motor to bump up the sticker price of cars associated with it. Already, rival carmakers like Hyundai, Kia and Tata have their own diesel engine to power some of their most successful cars. Given the percentage of buyers that opt for diesel cars these days, Maruti Suzuki is right in working on its befitting answer.
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There are still several automakers who are not quite sure of plonking a diesel engine in any of their cars. This could likely be down to a few but crucial factors that come into play when working on a diesel-powered car. However, these are not the kind of obstacles that should bring any automaker down to their knees. Plus, as I mentioned earlier, the rising cost of petrol will make buyers pause and think for a moment. This means that the upcoming project that Maruti Suzuki is working on, should pay dividends when it becomes a reality. Speaking of which, the automaker should launch the new diesel engine sometime in the second half of 2021.
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