The price difference between petrol and diesel engine variants of all car models are all set to further widen with the introduction of the BSVI-compliant oil-burners before the deadline of 1 April, 2020. This will be owing to the expensive nature of the exhaust system needed to upgrade the current motors.
Speaking to Autocar India, CV Raman, Senior Executive Director (engineering), Maruti Suzuki, has said:
The cost equation is definitely going to change. Diesel is going to be at least Rs 2-2.5 lakh higher than a BS-VI petrol. Moreover, the sentiment is not very good on diesel. Now whether the customer will make that switchover is uncertain. We are doing Euro-V and Euro-VI (BS-V and -VI) all together, so we need to put a DPF (diesel particulate filter) as well as SCR (selective catalytic reduction) and LNT (Lean NOx trap). So you have to control PM and NoX both at the same time. Normally we'd go from one stage to another but in a step by step manner but here, the entire cost will happen at the same time.
The Fiat-sourced D13A 1.3-litre diesel engine that powers a wide range of Maruti models is on its way out. The likes of Ciaz and Ertiga, which use the VGT-equipped DDIS200 version of the popular oil-burner, will receive the ingeniously-developed E15A 1.5-litre turbodiesel motor at some point in the next 12 months that will be compliant with the updated emission norms. The company is likely to retain the SHVS mild-hybrid setup.
For its small cars, Maruti is said to be contemplating replacing the diesel versions with CNG-equipped models. In fact, the rise in the popularity of CNG models over the past few months should act as a catalyst for the adoption of CNG-compatible powertrains to replace diesel engines in small cars. It should help the carmaker prevent the selling price from sky-rocketing.
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Meanwhile, Maruti is also looking at enhancing the efficiency of its petrol engines by opting for full hybrid systems. The carmaker is reportedly working closely with Bosch to localise a high percentage of hybrid powertrain components. The company is likely to benefit from its parent company's partnership with Toyota in the development of a full hybrid system tailor-made for Indian usage conditions. That said, the full-hybrid powertrain is expected to be available only on high-end models as the technology will be too expensive for the sub-4m class.
[Source - autocarindia.com]
