The 1.5-litre four-cylinder diesel engine powers Hyundai Creta, Verna, Venue and Elantra alongside the Kia Seltos and Sonet
Hyundai Motor India Limited (HMIL) introduced the second generation Creta in March 2020 and it has been well received among customers. The South Korean auto major said that the Creta, offered in a 1.5-litre petrol, a 1.5-litre diesel and a 1.4-litre turbo petrol engine, sees its buyer preference over the oil-burner steadily increase in recent months as it accounted for more than 60 per cent of its total booking.
The second largest carmaker in the country took a different route when most of the volume-based brands completely ditched the diesel powertrains, in the wake of BSVI emission standards that came into effect from April 2020, due to cost reasons. It has been getting sizeable benefits as, for instance, the same 1.5-litre diesel unit can also be found in the facelifted Verna, Venue and Elantra.
The Venue compact SUV has been making waves ever since it made its domestic premiere last year. Just as the Creta, the wide range of three powertrains has helped in the five-seater appealing to more customers. In contrary, the Venue’s main rival Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza is offered with a single petrol engine. The localization of the oil-burner is beneficial in several aspects for the Hyundai Motor Group.
Kia Motors India romped on to the Indian scenes with the Seltos in August 2020. The mid-size SUV rose to the top of the sales charts in no time as it beat the first generation Creta comprehensively for many months. However, the new Creta has regained its leading status but the demand for the diesel engines, both sharing the 1.5-litre unit, remains on the high.
In a similar strategy, the 1.5-litre found in the Creta and Seltos, developing 115 PS and 250 Nm, has been detuned for Venue and Sonet. Both develop a maximum power output of 100 PS and 240 Nm catering to the masses in the manual trim. The Sonet will indeed be launched next week and it comprises of the segment-first diesel automatic variant that churns out 115 PS and 250 Nm as the Seltos.
The six-speed torque converter automatic unit will be sold in Tech Line and GT Line variants of the Sonet and it gives a major advantage to the compact SUV over its rivals. Its booking numbers are soaring and expect it to make a strong impression on the sales charts in the coming months with a high demand for the diesel variants.
The upcoming third-gen Elite i20 will also use the same 1.5-litre diesel unit and thus its reach will only be expanded across the domestic portfolio.