Suzuki Developing New Turbo Engine for India with Focus on Performance, Efficiency

Suzuki Motor Corporation is developing a new direct-injection turbocharged engine for growth markets including India, with the aim of combining stronger performance with lower fuel consumption.

Suzuki identified the engine, referred to as DITC in its technology briefing, as one of the technologies it is preparing for future vehicles.

India is among the markets it specifically named for the project. The company has not disclosed the engine’s size, power output or first model application.

Wider Powertrain Efforts

The decision to develop another combustion engine comes as Suzuki widens its work on hybrids and electric vehicles.

Its strategy calls for different powertrains in different markets, according to local energy supply, infrastructure and customer needs.

For India, where Suzuki is also investing in CNG and biogas, improving the efficiency of petrol engines remains part of that approach.

Thermal Efficiency Targets

Separately, Suzuki outlined a broader research goal for its combustion engines: moving beyond the current range of around 40% thermal efficiency and working towards 50%. Thermal efficiency measures how much of the energy in fuel an engine converts into useful power. 

That research draws on work done for the Z12E engine and examines ways to reduce heat lost through cooling and exhaust, friction within the engine, and the energy needed to draw air in.

Suzuki cited lean combustion, waste-heat recovery and lower-viscosity oil among the measures under study. It did not say which of these would feature in the production DITC engine.

A India-focused turbo engine project could provide another powertrain option for Maruti Suzuki as its widens its product portfolio here.

The company did not disclose which model will receive the new engine or when it will enter production.