This Ertiga BS6 Diesel Spotting Hints At Maruti’s Diesel Future

• Maruti might upgrade its 1.5-litre DDIS engine if demand persists post BS6 emission norms.
• It could also offers its vehicles with the BS6 1.6-litre Fiat Multijet diesel engine.
• Earlier, Maruti Suzuki had reported that it will discontinue diesel cars post April 2020.
• Ertiga’s petrol engine has already been updated to meet BS6 emission norms.

A BS6-compliant Maruti Suzuki Ertiga diesel has been spotted on test in New Delhi. The test mule was seen with a diesel engine badge and BS6 specification sheet on its rear windshield. Does this mean Maruti Suzuki will continue to offer diesel engines post BS6 emission norms? Back in April 2019, Maruti Suzuki announced that it will discontinue diesels post BS6 emission norms. The carmaker feared lack of sales for diesels models due to the high costs involved in its upgrades to meet upcoming emission norms in April 2020. With these recent sightings, however, it would appear Maruti Suzuki could be pulling a classic bait and switch. Maruti did say that it might bring back diesel engines post April 2020 if demand persists.

Maruti Suzuki might update its in-house developed 1.5-litre DDIS diesel engine to meet BS6 emission norms. The engine currently develops 95PS of power and 225Nm of torque. It is found under the hoods of the Ertiga and Ciaz. The manufacturer could also offer the MPV with the BS6-compliant Fiat sourced 1.6-litre Multijet engine as well. Recently, a BS6-compliant  S-Cross with the 1.6-litre Multijet was spied doing emission testing.  

It is likely that Maruti might choose to upgrade the 1.5-litre diesel engine for its future models as it has spent in excess of Rs 1,000 crore to develop it. These two surprise spottings is enough to speculate that Maruti Suzuki is indeed considering diesel variants post BS6 emission norms. Considering that the Ertiga might get the BS6 diesel engine, it is likely that the premium XL6 could get the updated powertrain as well. The XL6 received major flack during launch for not having a diesel powertrain. 

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On the other hand, the Ertiga’s 1.5-litre K15B petrol engine has already been updated to meet BS6 emission norms. It develops 105PS of power and 138 Nm of torque. Transmission options for the petrol Ertiga include a 5-speed manual and a 4-speed torque converter. Prices for the Ertiga currently start from Rs 7.55 lakh and go up to Rs 11.20 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). Its primary rivals are the Renault Lodgy, Mahindra Marazzo and its premium sibling, the XL6.

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