Maruti Suzuki Celerio diesel engine confirmed

Maruti Suzuki is gearing up to introduce a diesel variant of its new Maruti Suzuki Celerio small car. The Maruti Celerio is the cheapest automatic car in India which comes with the automatic manual transmission (AMT) gearbox. Post it's launch during the 2014 Indian Auto Expo the Maruti Celerio has been received well by Indian car  buyers and the company is struggling to keep up with the demand. To fan this sales momentum Maruti is planning to launch the Celerio hatchback with a brand new diesel engine this fiscal year. 

According to reports the Maruti Celerio could be powered by a 800cc twin-cylinder diesel engine which has been developed internally by the company in India, unlike the 1.3-litre Multijet which it outsources from Fiat. The compact new oil-burner will be equipped with a turbocharger and would produce about 35PS of maximum power. Going by the India's leading carmaker's previous engines, the new 800cc motor will also be equally frugal and would return close to 25kmpl. Currently, the Maruti Celerio is powered by a three-cylinder K-series 1.0-litre petrol driven engine which produces a maximum power of 67PS and a peak torque of 90Nm. 

Currently, the petrol Celerio is offered in a five-speed manual transmission model and in an automatic transmission model. While the AMT variant accounts for over 51 per cent of total sales. With the addition of the diesel engine, the sales for the hatchback are likely to go up, though, we are not sure yet if the diesel version will get the AMT gearbox.

The same 800cc diesel engine might also power its Eeco workhorse, which is expected to be launched in 2016, making it Maruti's first diesel van in India. Presently, the Maruti Eeco is available with petrol and CNG options only. The diesel Eeco will compete against the Ace Magic from Tata Motors and Mahindra Maxximo who currently rule this segment. The Eeco van may, in the near future, replace the Maruti Omni.