1.2 petrol, sub-2.0L diesel engines for PSA cars in India?

Even as the PSA Group is yet to finalise on its market positioning and the model/s to start its India innings, it may be fair to surmise that an SUV and/or a compact car model would be part of the portfolio if PSA were to play in the mainstream passenger vehicle market in India.

Apart from the fact that both are big and growing segments in India, the availability of powertrains for application in these segments could make the job relatively easy for the French car major.

Many may not be aware that C K Birla Group company Avtec already makes engines for PSA Powertrain, a division of Groupe PSA. The association between the two began in 2011. At Auto Expo 2016, Avtec had showcased two Euro 6-compliant engines which could very well power some of PSA's cars in India. One of the engines is a four-cylinder 1997cc diesel with power output of 174bhp and 400Nm of torque. This engine is designed for use in SUVs and LCVs where demand for torque is more than cars.

The second engine is a 1200cc, three-cylinder Euro 6 petrol turbocharged engine. The engine is "renowned in its class for fuel efficiency" and can deliver 128bhp at 5500 rpm and 230Nm of torque at 1750rpm. Good for a B-segment car.

In an interview with Autocar Professional at Auto Expo 2016, Prabhakar Kadappa, MD and CEO, Avtec, had said: "As India wants to move to BS VI emission norms, we will be able to offer these products here or any other market which requires this technology.”

New launches and SUVs drive PV market growth in India 
Currently, growth in the Indian passenger vehicle market is driven only by new launches. An industry executive points out that without the new launches the market has declined in volumes.

Similar to many other global markets, SUVs are the hot favourite of Indian customers too. For the April-December 2016 period, the segment with UVs priced up to Rs 15 lakh and with a length of below 4.4 metres clocked sales of 372,072 units, a 48 percent growth against the same period the previous year.

According to Mark Fulthorpe, global director, light vehicle production forecast, IHS Markit Automotive, the SUV segment in India will easily cross the one-million mark annually by the end of this decade. 

Compact cars, on the other hand, continue to rule the Indian market. The segment dominates the passenger car market with an 88 percent share, and commands 61 percent of the overall passenger vehicle market. 

It won't be surprising if PSA debuts with an SUV and/or a compact car model to clock good volumes right from the start. Keep reading this space.