Maruti Suzuki is planning to introduce 1.2 L BSVI engine with SHVS technology in the Swift and Dzire later this year
With the stricter BSVI emission norms coming in next year, manufacturers are working round the clock to ensure that they are ready to roll out the updated, emission norm compliant vehicles before April 2020. Maruti Suzuki is the first mainstream manufacturer to introduce BSVI product in the market.
The company officially launched the BSVI variant of Baleno and it is introduced in two different variants as 1.2 L BSVI engine and 1.2 L Dualjet BSVI engine with Smart Hybrid Vehicle System but the latter is available only in two variants. This same 1.2 L petrol engine with SHVS hybrid system will be introduced in the Swift and Dzire models later this year.
The 1.2 L Dualjet engine with Smart Hybrid Vehicle System produces 91 PS of power at 6,000 rpm and 118 Nm of torque at 4,300 rpm. This engine is mated to 5-speed manual gearbox and it produces more power than the outgoing model. But the SHVS system might be limited to just a few variants only.
One of the reasons why Maruti decided to discontinue diesel is because of the high cost of upgrading it to BSVI norms. The difference between the petrol and the diesel variants of the Maruti Suzuki vehicles can be around Rs. 2.5 lakh, which is extremely high. However, diesel engines have a major advantage over petrol ones.
They are highly efficient and customers who drive long distances prefer the diesel engines over the petrol ones. But with the price rise, people may stay away from the diesel vehicles altogether and the sales of such vehicles may come crashing down. The SHVS system will help petrol engines to be more efficient than diesel models.
But the company might upgrade the new 1.5 L diesel engine to meet BSVI norms depending on the market response as most of the customers in the MPV and SUV segment prefer diesel over petrol. The company is planning to launch BSVI petrol variants of Vitara Brezza and S-Cross soon in India.