This Segment Parts Ways With Diesel Engines In India

An all-electric future seems inevitable. Sure, it still might be a while away, but the powertrains we’ve grown up with and known to love and cherish are very close to dying out. While petrol powertrains, albeit with some sort of electric assistance, might stick around for a tad bit longer, the death of the diesel is looming large, at least in the case of the compact sedan segment.

Current diesel sedans

The present generation Honda City and the outgoing Verna are the only two offerings in the compact sedan segment that offer a diesel option as of now. But with Hyundai dropping the first teaser for the new generation sedan, the firm has made clear that the upcoming compact sedan will strictly be a petrol-only offering. And the upcoming stringent emission norms have made it more than clear that the days of the diesel engine are numbered in the compact sedan space.

The upcoming Hyundai Verna will stick to a 1.5-litre petrol powertrain offered in two tunes; one turbocharged and the other a naturally aspirated one. So it’ll part ways with the 1.5-litre diesel engine that’s offered on the current model.

The stalwart of the segment, Honda City, as mentioned before, is still available with a 1.5-litre diesel. Although the production has stopped, the remaining units will be sold off before April 2023 in light of the upcoming BS VI Phase-2 emission norms, as reiterated by us in a previous account. Apart from the diesel, there’s a 1.5-litre petrol and a strong-hybrid powertrain on offer.

Current sedans w/o diesel

New offerings from the VW-Skoda Group, the Virtus and Slavia, were never offered with a diesel engine. Both get two turbo-charged petrol powertrains: 1-litre turbo-petrol and 1.5-litre turbo-petrol. 

As for the Maruti Ciaz, it was initially available with a petrol and a diesel powertrain, but the latter was removed from the lineup after the BS VI emissions came into play in April 2020. So currently, the compact sedan only comes with a 1.5-litre petrol powertrain, which is assisted using a mild-hybrid system.  

To sum it up, with the upcoming RDE norms and post the launch of the new generation Hyundai Verna, there won’t be an option for a diesel powertrain in the compact sedan segment anymore. Gone too soon right? We just hope the petrol sticks around for longer if not forever.