Taking the Lead With BS6 Rewards Maruti Suzuki With 3 Lakh Car Sales

• Maruti launched its first BS6 cars in April, the Baleno and Alto 800.
• The carmaker also announced 6.5 lakh cumulative Baleno sales.
• BS6 cars have 25% fewer NOx emissions, says Maruti.
• Maruti’s BS6 cars have been tested with BS4 petrol.

The new emissions come into force starting April 2020, and Maruti took the lead to update its vehicles almost a year ahead. It has just been seven months since Maruti Suzuki launched the first BS6 car, but the company announced today that it has sold 3 lakh vehicles compliant with the upcoming regulations. Of these, one lakh vehicles were sold just in the month of October during the Hindu festive season. In addition, the company also announced that its popular Nexa offering, the Baleno hatchback, has amassed cumulative sales of over 6.5 lakh units. 

The 3 lakh BS6 vehicle mark is an example of how the initiative of India’s largest car manufacturer can accelerate the adoption of new emission norms. The company had introduced the new norms in two popular models and is slowly updating its entire lineup. New vehicles launched this year have invariably had BS6 petrol engines. The fate of Maruti diesels is still in the dark since Maruti has said in the past that the cost of BS6 updation will put its vehicles at a price disadvantage in their respective segments.    

The Executive Director of Management and Sales, Shashank Srivastava, said, “Initially, there was some confusion in the minds of the consumers regarding the transition from BS4 to BS6. To provide clarity, we rolled out several awareness initiatives to communicate the advantages of adopting BS6 technology.” With government insight and directives few and far between, consumer demand for cars has fallen and was a contributing factor in the automotive slump this year. Maruti has dealt with the issue by offering only BS6-spec petrol cars for all the updated models.  

Maruti Baleno’s sales number of 6.5 lakh is an example of Maruti’s dominance over the market. It was the first large hatch from Maruti and went up against the likes of the Honda Jazz and the Hyundai i20. The Baleno was launched in India in October 2015. At the time, the car came with rounder bumpers and a design that was more European than other Marutis of the time. Two engine options were available, a 1.2-litre petrol with variable valve timing, and the Fiat-sourced 1.3-litre DDiS diesel motor. The former made 83PS and 115Nm, while the former made 75PS and 190Nm. The hatchback was named after Maruti’s Baleno sedan which was discontinued a few years before.

In January this year, the company introduced a mild hybrid in the Baleno lineup -- the Baleno Smart Hybrid. It pairs a starter-generator with a lithium ion battery. With Idle Start Stop (ISS), the Baleno turns its engine off every time you come to a stop. The system adds about 7PS to the peak power figure. It is only available with a petrol engine, and boosts fuel economy to a diesel-matching claimed 23.87kmpl.  

The sales landmarks are testament to Maruti’s exemplary sales, service, and marketing strategy. But the trend of eliminating diesels has been seen in other carmakers like Audi as well. Will Maruti choose to focus on hybrids instead?