Rumour: Maruti planning to shelve Celerio Diesel

Media reports suggest that Maruti Suzuki is planning to discontinue the diesel powertrain of the Celerio hatchback. This step is being mulled over after studying the changing market preferences in India.

The recent ban on diesel vehicles in Delhi and NCR has shifted buyer preference towards petrol cars. As a result, many manufacturers are now reporting a fall in their diesel car sales. Moreover, there is an air of ambiguity around the future of diesel cars, especially in the small car segment. The narrowing price gap between diesel and petrol, and increasing fuel economy of petrol engines is further decreasing diesel engines' popularity.

Moreover, with the upcoming Euro VI regulations, Suzuki will need to make a big investment to upgrade the diesel engine to comply with new emission norms. This might not be financially feasible in a market that isn't really accepting small diesel cars. The expenditure on upgrading the diesel engine will translate to a higher price tag for the Celerio diesel, as compared to its petrol counterpart. This widening gap can further be a hindrance in the diesel's sales. All these reasons have cumulatively forced Maruti to rethink its diesel small car plans.

The Celerio diesel draws power from a 793 cc, 2-cylinder diesel unit, which Maruti has named DDiS 125. This engine produces 47 BHP @ 3,500 rpm and 125 Nm of torque @ 2,000 rpm. The car was launched in June 2015.

This engine was the first diesel engine developed by Suzuki. The company had reportedly invested Rs. 900 crores to develop this powerplant. Maruti had already expressed concern about the falling sales of the Celerio diesel, just 4 months after its introduction.

Source: Economic Times