Fiat's 1.6-litre diesel engine to power Maruti's upcoming SUVs

We reported earlier that Maruti Suzuki India is working on its own diesel engine family, which will power its future products. However, reports are coming that the company is planning to import Fiat's 1.6-litre 'mulitjet' diesel engines from Italy. India's largest carmaker will launch new SUVs in the market, and it felt a need of more powerful engines to power these vehicles.

According to a report published on FE, Maruti will start importing the diesel engines by the next year. It is also stated that the company will launch the new SX4 Crossover by the early 2015, which will be available with both a 1.3-litre and 1.6-litre diesel engines in India. The former is already developed here in our country, so the company is planning to initially import the 1.6-litre diesel engine from Fiat. If the response are good, then it might be locally manufactured. This engine will be launched in other UVs and sedans as well.

Maruti will launch a new YL7 compact car (replacement for A-Star), which will be powered by the company's self-developed 800cc diesel engine. However, the other engines - 1.2L, 1.4L and 1.6L capacity are still under development. At the last year's Auto Expo, Maruti showcased the XA-Alpha compact SUV concept, which is expected to be launched by the end of 2015 or by early 2016. The vehicle will compete against the likes of Ford EcoSport, Renault Duster, Nissan Terrano, and upcoming Hyundai and Honda's compact SUVs.

Source: Financial Express