Maruti Suzuki will be rolling out an all-new diesel engine for India alongside new model launches. The company is looking at bringing forward the inauguration date of its new Gujarat plant
India’s number one car maker, Maruti Suzuki currently holds 50.43 per cent of passenger car market sales as of July 2015. Maruti owes this not only to its huge sales and service network, but also for its product range that suits the needs of Indian car buyers the best.
The company is now looking to take its presence forward in the country. In order to do this, the company is reported to be keen in bringing the date of commencement of its new plant in Gujarat to January 2017 from May 2017. The company’s Manesar plant is likely to hit full capacity by mid 2016.
The launch of new models aside, Maruti will also be introducing a new engine for the Indian car market in the form of its very own 1.5 litre, four cylinder turbocharged diesel unit. This unit will be more powerful than the current 1.3 litre Fiat sourced MultiJet diesel engine that does duty in all diesel Maruti models, apart from the Celerio that uses an 800cc, twin cylinder unit which is Suzuki’s first in-house built diesel engine.
Maruti will however, continue to use the famed 1.3 litre DDiS diesel engine after the introduction of the new 1.5 litre unit. The 1.3 litre unit will be made available in more models with the new SHVS mild hybrid technology which made its debut in the diesel version of the Ciaz mid-size sedan.
The company will also be replacing its 1.4 litre petrol engine available in the Ciaz mid-size sedan and Ertiga MPV with an updated K14C unit that will replace the current K14B unit.
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New Suzuki Baleno[/caption]
When it comes to new models, the company is looking at bringing Suzuki’s new hatchback, the Baleno to India and slotting it in as a premium hatchback here to take on new offerings in the segment such as the Hyundai Elite i20 and the Honda Jazz. The India specific name of the new Suzuki hatchback is still yet to be decided though.
Internationally, the new Baleno will get the company’s equally new 1.0 litre Boosterjet direct injection petrol engine with a single scroll turbocharger. The engine has aluminum block and head construction and is expected to develop around 125PS of maximum power. The next generation Swift will also get this engine internationally, along with Suzuki’s All Grip all-wheel drive system.
However, at the moment it would appear that the India spec Baleno would get the new 1.4 litre K14C petrol engine rather than the Boosterjet unit keeping costs and efficiency in check. The diesel engine in question for the India spec Baleno would be the new 1.5 litre diesel engine.
This is likely to be followed by the introduction of Suzuki’s new compact SUV codenamed the YBA.
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