Maruti Suzuki Ciaz Diesel Hybrid technology and features explained

The Maruti Suzuki Ciaz was launched about a year ago and has been received quite well by the Indian audiences. Of course, it does have the likes of the Honda City to go up against, due to which it has been slightly sidelined. That said, by no stretch is it a poor car and it does offer a ton of gadgetry to go along with it. Now though, Maruti Suzuki in India are about to launch a new mild hybrid system on September 1, 2015 that will make the Ciaz even more fuel efficient and even more appealing to the average Indian customer. If sources are to be believed, expect up to 28kmpl with the new Ciaz hybrid. 

Well, for starters, if you thought that the new Ciaz Hybrid, badged as Ciaz SHVS for Suzuki Hybrid Vehicle Systems, is not a full-fledged hybrid like the much more expensive Toyota Camry and Prius are. In fact, the Ciaz SHVS features something very similar to the Micro Hybrid technology that Mahindra uses for its Scorpio. What that means in simpler words is that the Ciaz comes with a start stop technology that helps cut down on fuel consumption by cutting out the engine when the car comes to a halt and restarting the car with the help of a small motor when the driver intends to start off again. Although this will not make a huge different in fuel economy, it will certainly push the economy figures upwards of what the Ciaz’s immediate rival, the Honda City is capable of.

Although this is a really basic start top system that only comes into play when the car comes to a halt, there is already a more advanced system that works even when the car is in motion. This system cuts off the engine but continues to run all the car’s systems like the power steering, brake boosters, climate control and electronic systems with the help of an electric motor. This tech, used by Volkswagen in international markets still hasn’t made its way to India though and isn’t expected to get to our shores anytime soon.

Coming back to Ciaz however, the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz SHVS will also come with something called the Deceleration Energy Regenerating function. What this essentially means as the energy wasted when a car decelerates will be fed back into the electrical system of the car thereby improving the overall mechanical efficiency of the powerplant by making the alternator do less work than it would ideally be doing. This system however will only come to play if the car is decelerating but is already over 30kmph. On the whole though, these little additions do go a long way in helping the car be more fuel efficient than before and offer an even juicier answer to the perennial ‘Kitna deti hai’ question.