Maruti is gearing up to launch the Celerio diesel, perhaps one of its most important launches as the small car will debut Suzuki's self-developed diesel engine. Here are 5 things we know about the Celerio diesel:
1. Lightest engine in its class
The Celerio diesel is powered by an all-aluminium 793 cc twin-cylinder DDiS diesel engine weighing a mere 89 kg, making it the smallest diesel engine in the passenger car segment. In comparison, the Hyundai Grand i10's three-cylinder U2 CRDi diesel weighs 151 kg while the Maruti Swift's 1.3-liter DDiS comes to 128 kg.
2. India's most fuel efficient diesel car
At an ARAI-rated figure of 27.62 km/l, the Celerio diesel will become India's most fuel efficient car surpassing the Maruti Dzire and the Maruti Ciaz. The Celerio's DDiS diesel engine makes 47 bhp and 125 Nm of torque, and is paired to a 5-speed manual transmission.
3. Higher torque/cc than the Swift diesel
Despite its diminutive size, the Celerio diesel offers higher torque/cc of displacement than the Maruti Swift diesel, which is powered by a four-cylinder 1.3-liter DDiS engine. Where the Celerio diesel makes 0.16 Nm/cc, the Swift's 190 Nm of torque translates to 0.15 Nm/cc.
4. Variant walk identical to petrol Celerio
Just like the Celerio petrol, the Celerio diesel will also come in variants of LDi, VDi, ZDi and ZDi (O). The base variant gets AC and power steering, while dual airbags, ABS, foglights, alloy wheels, a Bluetooth-compatible music system with steering mounted audio controls are seen on the ZDi (O) variant. For now, the Celerio diesel will not get the EZ Shift automated manual transmission.
5. Launch confirmed for June 3, 2015
Maruti has confirmed the launch of the Celerio diesel for June 3, 2015. Analysts expect the Celerio diesel to cost about INR 80,000 more than the equivalent petrol variant, putting the starting price in the region of INR 4.7 lakhs, which will make it one of the most affordable diesel passenger cars in the country.
Rivals: Hyundai Grand i10, Chevrolet Beat Diesel, Ford Figo, Tata Kite
Expected Price: INR 4.7-5.9 Lakhs
Tentative Launch Date: June 3, 2015
Suzuki Celerio Custom - Image Gallery (Unrelated)
[Images from: GaadiWaadi]
