The D13A 1.3-litre diesel engine that is omnipresent in Maruti Suzuki’s line-up is set to go out of production at the Gurgaon plant. This way, the company will gradually phase out the small diesel engine.
Maruti Suzuki manufactures the D13A 1.3-litre diesel engine at the Gurgaon plant and also at the Manesar plant. Upgrading this engine to make it BSVI compliant isn’t feasible, and so, it has no choice but to discontinue by March 2020, as the more stringent emission norms will come into effect at the very onset of FY2021. First, it will stop the production at the Gurgaon plant, and by January 2020, at the Manesar plant too.
Citing three undisclosed sources, a report from Mint says that Maruti Suzuki may convert the diesel engine line in the Gurgaon plant to produce petrol engines. This engine line has a capacity of approximately 1,70,000 engines per annum. At the Manesar plant, the capacity is 3,00,000 units.
“In the long run, Maruti will not offer the 1.3-litre diesel engine any more and in the medium term, the diesel engine assembly line in Manesar will suffice for the demand in the market,” said one of the three sources mentioned above.
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Maruti Suzuki discontinued the D13A engine in the Ignis in June year. By early next year, it will stop offering this engine in the Swift, Baleno, Dzire, Vitara Brezza, Ertiga, Ciaz and S-Cross too. As a replacement, some of these models will get an in-house developed 1.5-litre diesel engine internally known as ‘E15A’, starting in 2019.
[Source: livemint.com]
