The Hyundai i20 diesel will reportedly be discontinued ahead of the arrival of the RDE (Real Drving Emission) standards by April, 2023
The impact of BSVI emission standards were huge upon arrival in April 1, 2020. So much that many car producers’ domestic portfolios were shrinken in size as most of them gave up on diesel engines as upgrading the then existed oil burners to the more stringent emission regulations would not make for a good business case with high investments involved.
Fast forward three years, the RDE (Real Driving Emission) rules are kicking in on April 1, 2023 and a large chunk of existing diesel engine equipped models will be shelved. This will further push automakers to explore more on alternative fuels and invest more into hybridisation before the eventual switch to electrification in the distant future across different segments.
The big sum of money involved in upgrading the diesel engines to RDE emission standards will eliminate a number of diesel vehicles including the Hyundai i20. With the diesel variants attributing to only 10 per cent of its total sales and better penetration of the 1.2-litre NA and 1.0-litre T-GDI petrol engines, the solo diesel will be discontinued.
Another factor contributing to buyers not wanting to own a diesel engine despite its fuel efficiency benefits is that the price gap between petrol and diesel variants has widened big time. Casting the i20 aside, the only other diesel powered premium hatchback in India is the Tata Altroz and it will have to be waited and seen if it will be upgraded or not.
The Venue will reportedly keep its 1.5-litre diesel engine though but the fixed geometry version could be opted out for the more powerful VGT equipped mill from Creta producing 115 PS maximum power. The smaller sized diesel engines will have to ditch the Lean NOx Trap system for a more expensive Selectric Catalytic Reduction system in order to comply with RDE norms.
Not too long ago, Honda expressed its concerns over upgrading its popular 1.5-litre i-VTEC diesel engines to meet Real Drive Emission regulations. The City midsize sedan, WR-V crossover, which will likely be replaced by a compact SUV next year and the Amaze sub-4m sedan use the said oil burner.