Japanese car maker Suzuki has been in the news for the launch of its new 1.5-litre diesel powertrain in the past few months. However, according to fresh reports, the firm has backtracked on this plan and reportedly decided to take around three more years before introducing it. A report by Autocar India claims that Suzuki seems to be struggling with finding the right refinement and performance levels for the new diesel drivetrain. Thus, the development team wants to take its time before launching it in the market.
This 1.5-litre powertrain is part of the firm’s new range of diesel engines, which are being developed in-house. Notably, this range of powertrains contains units with various capacities, starting from 0.8-litre and going up to 1.5-litre. It is well known that the reason behind this decision to create a new line is based on Suzuki’s endeavour to stop using souring engines from Fiat.
Maruti Suzuki Celerio will be the first car to feature the 800 cc diesel engine and mark the automaker’s entry into the segment. Testing, conceptualisation and development has been going on for a long time now and the main aim has been to ensure that the engines are competitive enough to be launched in the market. Celerio diesel should be able to deliver a power level of around 47 BHP and a mileage of 27.62 kmpl. Suzuki will also be entering the commercial vehicle space by introducing a model to battle Tata Ace.
Things have not always been hunky dory for Suzuki in the diesel department and other firms have been apprehensive about collaborating ever since the issue with German car maker Volkswagen took place some time ago. Interestingly, Suzuki has combined two 800 cc engines to deliver the 1.5-litre, which, though, amounts to a 1.6-litre unit but has been compressed for availing of benefits. The progress for introducing a model with a 1.5-litre engine was on track and a 2016 launch was on the cards but certain bumps in the road have deterred the firm from doing so.
An automatic implication of the delay in the launch of the 1.5-litre diesel engine will be that Maruti Suzuki’s new compact Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV), YBA, is likely to be introduced with a Fiat-sourced 1.3-litre engine. The firm might introduce the in-house developed engine at a later stage but at present the Fiat engine will be provided in the YBA compact SUV. There had also been talks of the firm using Fiat’s 1.5-litre diesel engine in YBA but decided to go against it due to cost reasons.
