Maruti plans to extend diesel range

Maruti Suzuki is exploring diesel engine options for its existing UV/SUV range comprising the Gypsy and Grand Vitara. These vehicles are currently powered by petrol engines that place them at a disadvantage to the diesel-engined MUVs in the market. While the Grand Vitara is imported from Japan, the Gypsy continues to be produced locally in small numbers depending on demand.

Speaking to Autocar Professional at the launch of the new Swift in New Delhi on August 17, Shinzo Nakanishi, managing director and CEO, Maruti Suzuki India, said the company’s engineering department has been asked to develop a diesel engine for the Gypsy. At present, the Gypsy sells 3,500 to 4,000 units annually to the armed forces who prefer its 1298cc four-cylinder petrol engine. The Grand Vitara is marketed in small numbers to individual customers with no major roadmap earmarked for its growth unless volumes pep up.

Meanwhile, the search for a suitable diesel engine for both the rear-wheel-drive models continues. However, Maruti will not make the Grand Vitara in India. I V Rao, managing executive officer (engineering), says neither will the company be considering a diesel SUV in the immediate future unless the issue of diesel engines is streamlined.

Maruti currently sources Fiat's Multijet 1.3-litre diesel engine for the SX4. The Grand Vitara requires a higher-powered diesel engine (2.4 litres in petrol) which is not available. Making up for the lukewarm response to its Grand Vitara, Maruti plans to enter the buzzing MPV segment with its all-new model codenamed RIII. To be positioned a step below the Toyota Innova, it is likely to be a seven-seater with three rows of seats. Built on a stretched Ritz platform, the production version is expected to be built on a monocoque and hence will be more car-like in its driving characteristics than a typical body-on-frame design.

Maruti Suzuki is expected to strengthen its K-series engine initiative with the RIII to be powered via the same K-series motor. Though the engine displacements are likely to vary between 1.2 to 1.4 litres, it is likely that the popular Fiat 1.3-litre Multijet engine could also be deployed for the RIII.

The RIII, meanwhile, is slated for a 2012 launch with Maruti targeting the growing and profitable UV market. It is also developing a new hatchback as well as a 100 percent indigenously designed new small car that is being developed for the Japanese market for Suzuki.