Exclusive: We Could See The First BS6 Diesel Maruti Suzuki Car In 2021

• All Maruti Suzuki cars will be sold with petrol engines after the BS6 deadline.
• Maruti had previously announced the phasing-out of diesel engines ahead of the BS6 deadline.
• The new BS6 motor could be the updated 1.5-litre engine.
• Likely contenders for the emissions-compliant diesel are the Ertiga, S-Cross, and Ciaz.

You thought Maruti diesels were gone for good, right? Well, sources close to Maruti Suzuki have revealed that the carmaker will launch its first BS6 diesel-powered car in India in 2021. We might hear an official announcement about the engine at Auto Expo 2020. 

It is unclear which car will be the first to get the update. Spy shots from November indicate that it could be the Ertiga MPV. The S-Cross and Ciaz are also likely to be offered with the new engine. However, a sighting of an S-Cross in November had us wondering what that engine was. 

It is likely to be a re-engineered version of Maruti’s recently developed 1.5-litre DDiS engine which debuted in 2019. In its current state of tune, it makes 95PS of power and 225Nm of torque. It currently has a claimed fuel efficiency of 26.82kmpl. These figures could change after the BS6 update.

Maruti Suzuki had surprised us with its decision to phase out diesel cars in April 2019. We knew that the axe was coming for the Fiat-sourced 1.3-litre DDiS engine. The discontinuation of the 1.5-litre DDiS 225 was unprecedented. Later, the carmaker had said that it will gauge market demand for diesels after BS6 before introducing a diesel variant. 

The bridge between petrol and diesel prices may be closing in, but diesel is still the cheaper fuel. Car buyers prefer diesels because of their higher fuel efficiency and torque output. Although the sub-4m regulation allows for a maximum petrol engine size of 1.2 litres, diesels are allowed a maximum of 1.5-litres of displacement. Thus, diesel cars have been the preferred choice in several segments populated by Maruti.  

With the new diesel in its lineup, Maruti will get to compete with carmakers like Hyundai which will continue to build diesel cars after April this year. Could the absence of diesel variants affect Maruti’s sales figures? Watch this space to see things change after April.