Maruti believes the segment is skewed towards diesel.
Deliveries of the Maruti Vitara Brezza start later this month, however, buyers on the lookout for a petrol compact SUV need to look elsewhere. The Vitara Brezza is available only with the 1.3-liter DDiS diesel engine to begin with, as Maruti believes the bulk of buyers opt for a diesel variant.
However, the company is indeed considering a petrol variant on the Vitara Brezza to leverage on buyers with low monthly usage requirements. Sources told Indian Autos Blog that the tried-and-tested 1.2-liter K-Series petrol engine is unlikely to power the Vitara Brezza owing to the heavier kerb weight of the product. "We think that when the weight goes beyond 1,100 kg, the 1.2 K-Series will not give the customer the desired performance", one person privy to details told Indian Autos Blog.
"The only options we have are the 1.4-liter petrol engine or the 1.0-liter Boosterjet which you will see soon on Baleno", the person said. The 1.4-liter K-Series engine powers the Ertiga and Ciaz models, and develops 92 PS and 130 Nm of torque. It is paired to a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed automatic on both products.
Also read: Maruti Baleno - First Drive Review
The 1.0-liter three-cylinder Boosterjet on the other hand will debut for the Indian market on the Maruti Baleno RS. Indian Autos Blog understands that Maruti engineers are fine-tuning this engine, but target a 110 hp rating.
