The new 1.5 L engine will debut with Ciaz in August and the company is planning to use this same engine for rebadged Corolla Altis hybrid in 2020
Suzuki is developing new 1.5 L petrol engine for bigger models. The new engine will come with hybrid system which will improve fuel efficiency considerably over the regular engines. Maruti Suzuki currently uses 1.4 L K-Series engine for its bigger cars but competitors use 1.5 L or 1.6 L engines which offer better performance compared to smaller engines of Maruti.
The new 1.5 L engine will debut with Ciaz in August and the company is planning to use this same engine for Corolla Altis hybrid model which the company will launch in 2020. The hybrid system includes start/stop system with regenerative braking system. Maruti Suzuki currently use this system on diesel engines to improve efficiency.
Also Read : New Maruti Suzuki Ciaz To Likely Get New 1.5 L Hybrid Engine In August
The new engine is developed by Suzuki in Japan and it will be manufactured by Maruti Suzuki. Suzuki already introduced a similar engine with second generation of Ertiga in Indonesia but it doesn’t come with hybrid system. The 1.5 L engine on Ertiga produces 103 hp of power and 138 Nm of torque. This engine is mated to 5 speed manual gearbox.
But in India, Maruti will continue to use 1.4 L K-Series engine on second generation Ertiga at the launch as the company will offer new engine at a later period. After the debut on Ciaz, this new engine will be used in Baleno and Vitara Brezza models. We can expect Maruti to tune the engine for efficiency rather than outright performance.
Also Read : New-Gen Maruti Suzuki Ciaz Facelift To Launch In August
Maruti Suzuki is also developing a new diesel engine which will debut next year as the company currently uses 1.3 L DDiS engine sourced from Fiat. The new engine will be 1.5 L unit and it is also expected to make debut in Ciaz followed by the launch in other models. This will help Maruti save lots of money as they don’t have to pay loyalty fee to Fiat.
Suzuki and Toyota announced a partnership earlier this year to share popular models between both companies. Toyota will share Corolla Altis sedan and Maruti will share Vitara Brezza and Baleno. Maruti is not able to crack premium segment and they are expecting Corolla Altis sedan will help the company to attract premium customers.