Engine Sharing

In an increasingly competitive market where car manufacturers are engaged in cutthroat competition, the element of being different is superseded by the fact that individual manufacturers look at creating product packages that give the buyer maximum bang for their buck. Being different is an expensive affair, however clever packaging is the essence of good business. Keeping that in mind, one of the prime elements that come in focus is the engine of a product and interestingly, good engines are finding their way into numerous offerings; either within the bouquet of products offered by a single manufacturer or in some cases across various companies as well.

Speaking of which, the ideal example of this practice can be found with the usage of the Fiat developed 1.3 JTD engine, which is now known as the Multijet post receiving some upgrades when the second generation version of this engine was introduced. Created under Fiat’s Small Diesel Engine (SDE) program, the 1248cc engine has received numerous accolades the world over, including the coveted ‘International Engine of the Year’ award in the 1-1.4litre category in 2005. In India, the 1.3 litre Multijet has found a rather strong fan following as well. While Fiat’s fortunes in the car business might be questionable in our country, there is no doubting the fact that the company has given India one of the most successful engines of all times.

The 1.3 litre engine is a flexible unit that can be tuned to offer anywhere between 70PS all the way up to 105PS, however in India it is employed either as a 70PS, 75PS or a 90PS unit. Further to that, it is an extremely refined mill and has captivated the market by storm. In fact it can be found under the hood of over 13 different cars currently available in India! This includes the Fiat Grande Punto and Linea. Maruti Suzuki manufactures their own version of this engine and has branded it as their DDiS unit which can be found in the Swift, Dzire, Dzire Tour, Ritz, Ertiga and SX4. Tata Motors also produces this engine on license from Fiat and it can be found in the Indica Vista and Manza, albeit with the Quadrajet brand name. The other companies that have licensed this engine for use include General Motors who has recently employed the unit in the Sail U-VA and Sail Sedan and is expected to power their Enjoy MPV as well, post its launch later this year. Under the GM brand, the engine is known as the Smartech diesel. Last but not the least, the 1.3 litre unit can also be found under the hood of the Premier RiO urban SUV in its CRDi4 offering. Other cars to have used this engine include the Fiat Palio Stile as well as the Fiat 500; however these two cars are not sold in India anymore.

Another engine that is growing in popularity is Renault-Nissan’s 1.5 dCi mill. Being the alliance’s only diesel mill currently on offer in the country means that it is employed in just about every diesel offering that they have. Under the Nissan badge, the 1461cc diesel engine can be found in the Micra, Sunny and Evalia while Renault utilizes it in the Pulse, Scala, Duster and Fluence. Obviously the state of tune is different for its varied application and thanks to its flexible nature which involves only a few changes in key components this engine can churn out anywhere between 64PS to 110PS. While Nissan and Renault continue to expand their product portfolio, it is expected that this engine will find its way into even more products in the coming few years.

It’s not only the small car manufacturers that are into the engine sharing business amongst a plethora of products. In the high end segment, this trend is most prolific in the Volkswagen group’s stable. Their acclaimed 2.0 litre TDI mill can be found in the Volkswagen Jetta, Volkswagen Passat, Skoda Laura, Skoda Superb, Skoda Yeti, Audi A4, Audi A6, Audi Q3 and Audi Q5 here in India. Having said that, each manufacturer does tinker with the engine to add their own set of bells and whistles to it in order to suit the standard and requirements of their product portfolio.

Another high end car manufacturer that has successfully utilized its 2.0 litre diesel engine across a plethora of products is BMW. Here in India the company has fitted their class leading 4 cylinder, 2.0 litre diesel unit in versions of the X1 crossover (X1 20d), X3 SUV (X3 20d), 3 Series Sedan (320d) and 5 Series Sedan (520d). Such is the nature of this engine that BMW doesn’t have to tweak it differently for the various models. It’s powerful, frugal and well suited for the Indian environment. In fact this engine will also do duty in the upcoming 1 Series premium hatch which is set to go on sale in India by mid 2013.  

An obvious deduction is the fact that engine sharing isn’t just a practice limited to smaller markets or to a set of manufacturers. World over, this is a phenomenon employed by manufacturers that allows them to control costs and benefit from the economies of scale. It is a smart practice that has numerous advantages that extend to the customer as well. A prime example being the fact that it makes it easy for customers to find parts and service personnel to properly address the vehicle in times of need. With the global economy in a constant state of flux, such practices are a great method to maximize potential and the good news is that the notion of engine sharing is spreading to more of our domestic players as well. UV manufacturer, Mahindra, is finding increasing use for their 2.2 litre mHawk engine. Right now it does duty in some models of the Scorpio, Xylo and XUV500 and in the future it could even debut under the hood of the Bolero or even the Thar. After all, it makes immense sense to do so in order to capitalize on the market by offering a plethora of products yet keeping key components similar, especially something as expensive as the engine.

FIAT 1.3 Multijet: India’s Favourite Diesel Mill

Renault-Nissan 1.5 dCi: Where it Fits!