Maruti Suzuki is in talks with parental group Suzuki over whether to discontinue diesel engines completely in India or not
Automobile manufacturers are seeking ways to expand their petrol engine portfolio in the aftermath of the anti-diesel sentiments and the oncoming stringent BS-VI emission standards from April 2020 that will eventually make the diesel models even more expensive to buy than petrol versions.
The costs involved in making the existing BS-IV diesel engines to BS-VI compliant, the development of completely new gas-guzzlers ditching the powerplants that could not simply be converted to BS-VI standards due to technical or monetary reasons, have led to uncertainty among carmakers.
The CAFÉ (Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency) rules further exacerbate the issue, as it requires vehicles to be more fuel-efficient with lesser emissions from April 2022.
The sales ratio between petrol and diesel variants does show a sense of favouritism towards the petrol models among customers but in the SUV segment, it is a whole different story as diesel engines are still mastering big sales numbers.
According to a recent report emerged on the internet, the largest automaker in the country, Maruti Suzuki is discussing with parent Suzuki over whether to cease production of diesel powertrains or not in India. The tried-and-tested 1.3-litre DDiS Fiat-sourced diesel mill that can be found in the majority of the brand’s models will be no more when the BS-VI norms kick in.
Maruti Suzuki is reportedly wanting to expand its CNG offerings instead as it senses Compressed Natural Gas as a viable option by being an alternative fuel with less emissions and high economy. The report states that Suzuki is in favour of pulling the plugs on diesel engines while Maruti Suzuki is concerned that it might affect the sales.
It has previously been said that Maruti Suzuki has requested dealers to bid for licenses in order to establish CNG dispensing stations. It is part of the company’s strategy to sell more than two lakh CNG-powered vehicles per year by 2022. This stands in accordance to MSIL opting to push CNG as the best alternative to diesel fuel.