Honda will upgrade its tried and tested 1.5-litre diesel motor to BS-VI compliance; expects to sustain demand for diesels for the years to come
Honda Cars India is upgrading its tried and tested 1.5-litre i-DTEC ‘Earth Dream’ diesel engine to BS-VI compatibility to comply with the new stricter emission norm about to be implemented from 2020. This clearly indicates the brand’s hope for the sustainable demands for this diesel motor. Interestingly, this decision comes at a time, when Volkswagen has decided not to upgrade its 1.5-litre EA189 diesel engine and Fiat’s popular 1.3-litre Multijet diesel motor too is counting its days.
The Japanese auto maker sells several cars in the domestic market that are powered by this 1.5-litre i-DTEC engine. The brand hopes despite the recent anti-diesel vibe among the Indian customers, diesel powered cars will continue selling beyond 2020.
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While the upgraded diesel motor will continue its journey in the Honda portfolio, high cost of upgradation is surely going to affect the pricing of these models. Also, pricing difference between petrol and diesel powered cars will widen further. However, the automaker believes it won’t affect the sales of diesel models. As Honda claims, in Tier II and Tier III towns across the country demand is fully concentrated towards diesel powered cars.
The automaker is aiming to keep the pricing of the upgraded diesel engine lower. For that, it is mulling the chance to locally produce parts of the diesel particulate filter for this motor. Testing for the BS-VI compliant diesel engine has already begun in the country and initial reports suggest the test has been going smoothly.
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This 1.5-litre i-DTEC diesel engine is currently available with Honda cars like Amaze, City, BR-V, Jazz and WR-V. Honda is currently gearing up to launch the new CR-V in India with a 1.6-litre diesel engine from the ‘Earth Dreams’ range. This same engine will be available under the hood of the India-spec tenth generation Civic sedan as well that is ready to arrive here soon.
Source: Autocar India