Maruti Suzuki India Ltd on Thursday announced that it will phase out all its diesel cars by April 2020. The BS-VI emission norms come into effect on 1 April 2020, and going by Maruti’s decision, one can assume that the company’s diesel engines won’t be ready to meet the more stringent emission norms. Maruti Suzuki India Ltd chairman R.C. Bhargava said the company will stop manufacturing diesel vehicles from April next year as the substantially higher development cost will not make diesel a viable option for consumers.
“We have taken this decision so that in 2022 we are able to meet the Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency norms and a higher share of CNG vehicles will help us comply with the norms. I hope the union government’s policies will help grow the market for CNG vehicles,” added Bhargava.
At present, Maruti Suzuki has two diesel engine options in its range--1.3-litre DDiS 190 and the new 1.5-litre DDiS 225 diesel engine that made its debut in Ciaz just a month back. Currently, more than half the Maruti Suzuki passenger vehicle range has a diesel engine option. Given that diesel cars constitute 30% of Maruti sales, it remains to be seen how Maruti Suzuki chooses to maintain its sales volume growth.
Here’s a list of seven car variants that would be discontinued and their respective rivals that are likely to benefit:
1) Maruti Suzuki Swift: Swift offers seven diesel variants starting at the price of Rs 5.99 lakh (ex-showroom) and going up to Rs 8.85 lakh. Hyundai Grand i10 and Hyundai Elite i20 diesel models are likely to see higher demand after the Swift diesel phase-out.
2) Maruti Suzuki Dzire: Dzire comes in seven diesel variants in the price range of Rs 6.67-9.54 lakh. Tata Tigor, Hyundai Xcent and Honda Amaze would benefit from its phase-out.
3) Maruti Suzuki Ertiga: Ertiga comes in four diesel variants in Rs 8.85-10.91 lakh range. Ertiga diesel’s phase-out would pave way for Mahindra Marazzo, Honda BR-V, Mahindra TUV300 and Mahindra XUV300.
4) Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza: Given that Vitara Brezza is the only-diesel model and won’t be discontinued after April 2020, it is likely that it will get a BS VI petrol engine soon. But for those who preferred diesel, Tata Nexon, Mahindra XUV300, Ford EcoSport, Hyundai Creta and Honda WR-V can be the likely picks.
5) Maruti Suzuki S-Cross: Similar to Brezza, S-Cross is also a diesel-only model and is likely to get a BS VI petrol engine if Maruti wants to continue the car. For diesel alternatives, one can consider Hyundai Creta, Honda WR-V, Ford EcoSport, Mahindra XUV300, Renault Duster.
6) Maruti Suzuki Baleno: Baleno offers four diesel variants starting at the price of Rs 6.81 lakh and going up to Rs 8.82 lakh. Honda Amaze and Hyundai Elite i20 would be their suitable alternatives.
7) Maruti Suzuki Ciaz: Ciaz offers seven diesel variants in the range of Rs 9.2 lakh to Rs 11.38 lakh. It is the most popular car in the mid-sized sedan segment. It’s phase-out benefit Volkswagen Vento, Skoda Rapid, Honda City and Hyundai Verna.
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