Automobile Research Association of India (ARAI) has certified that HM-Mitsubishi Outlander has surpassed the BS IV (Bharath Stage Four) emission norms with BS III (Bharath Stage Three) fuel. The ’Outlander’ becomes the first premium SUV in India to be awarded so by ARAI.
With the Versa platform-based O2 MPV, Maruti plans to release a Zen Estilo facelift in October 09. The facelift will include minor cosmetic changes in exteriors and in interiors alongwith a Bharat Stage IV compatible engine.
Maruti Suzuki India Ltd, India’s largest car maker, unveiled an all-new BS-IV compliant K12M engine at its Gurgaon plant. The 1.2L all-aluminium engine is second in the K-series and is said to have technological superiority and higher fuel efficiency over the K10B engine that powers Maruti Suzuki’s A-Star.
The K12M engine has been specifically designed for Indian applications. Maruti Suzuki’s engineers worked as part of Suzuki’s Engine Design team for the design, calibration and testing of the engine in Japan and in India. It will be put to use in the new Ritz hatchback (a.k.a Splash) which is slated for launch in May ’09.
Maruti Suzuki will be discontinuing the sales of Maruti 800 and Omni mini-van, in 11 major cities from 2010, due to stricter emission norms – Bharat Stage IV that will take effect next year.
Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune, Kanpur, Ahmedabad, Surat and Agra will be the first few cities where BS IV will be implemented in 2010. Other cities which will initially come under BSIII norms, are likely to follow suit.
The Bharat Stage-IV will come into force next year, said Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (Siam) president Pawan Goenka. Regulations for emission levels are already the same for CNG and diesel under Euro-IV, a standard which the Bharat Stage-IV norms expect to meet.
