Maruti Suzuki’s 1.5 diesel engine could return soon
India’s largest automaker Maruti Suzuki abruptly dropped all diesel engines in April last year after the BS6 emission norms came to existence. At the time, the company claimed that its lineup would now be petrol-only.
However, in a weird twist of events, reports claim that the company is indeed in the process of reviving its 1.5-litre diesel engine which launched only in March 2019 but was axed last year.
Maruti Suzuki’s U-turn might have something to do with the highly inflated fuel prices which have resulted in petrol crossing Rs 100/litre in a few states.
The report claims that the BS6-ready version of the engine will first debut on the XL6 and then arrive on the Ertiga, Ciaz and Brezza in a phased manner. There are also rumors of the 2022 Brezza diesel being showcased at the 2022 Auto Expo.
As a recap, the 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder diesel is Maruti’s in-house developed motor, which, in its BS4 avatar, produced 94bhp of power at 4,000rpm and 225Nm of torque at 1,500-2,500rpm.
Oh, and let’s not forget that since Toyota has a newfound love of slapping its badge onto Maruti cars, even the former’s derivatives will benefit from the return of this diesel engine.