Suzuki Swift with 1.2 liter turbo diesel engine scooped?

Fiat India sells just about 1,000 cars per month, a number that makes the Italian car maker one of the back markers in the Indian car market. However, Fiat's 1.3 liter Multijet turbo diesel engines find application in over 30,000 cars sold in India each month. Such has been the popularity of this engine that many car enthusiasts in the country liken the 1.3 liter Fiat Multijet diesel engine as the "National Engine" of India. 

If Suzuki's engineers toiling away in Japan have their way, the Multijet engine's dominance in India could be challenged. To reduce its dependence on Fiat Multijet turbo diesel engines, Suzuki is developing a new range of small capacity, turbo diesel engines with capacities of 1.2 liters and 1.4 liters. These engines are likely to make it to a range of hot selling Suzuki cars such as the Swift hatchback and the Dzire compact sedan, to name just two. 

Suzuki might have already begun testing the 1.2 liter turbo diesel engine on the Swift, as the purported scoop of Team-Bhpian VeyronSuperSprt indicates. The said Swift 1.2 Diesel scooped shows changes such as a start-stop system, keyless-entry and cruise control, features that are already available on the facelifted Swift sold in Europe. 

While the aforementioned features are likely to make it into the facelifted Swift, due for a launch here in the next few months, the 1.2 liter turbo diesel engine is likely to arrive on the next-generation version of this hugely popular hatchback. Apart from the Swift, cars such as the Dzire and Ritz could also receive the 1.2 liter turbo diesel engine while the likes of the Ertiga MPV, YL1 sedan and the SX4 replacement are likely to get the 1.4 liter diesel motor. As of now, specifications of these new range of diesel engines remain unknown although VeyronSuperSprt has revealed a few things about the 1.2 liter diesel motor.

The following points are his impressions:

• Compared with the 1.3 liter Fiat Multijet diesel engine, the 1.2 liter Suzuki turbo diesel motor feels under powered at lower rpms, and shows significant turbo lag. 
• The test mule has a long way to go before it is signed off for production
• The launch of this engine is slated for 2016

Suzuki pays Fiat a hefty royalty for every Multijet diesel engine it uses on its cars. Also, due to the huge demand for diesel engined Maruti Suzuki cars in India , the automaker sources diesel engines from Fiat India, whose engine factory at Ranjangaon produces and supplies 100,000 Multijet engines each year for use in Maruti cars.

With Suzuki developing and deploying its own range of small capacity diesel engines on its cars, the Japanese automaker stands to save substantial amounts of money that would otherwise be paid to Fiat as royalty. Will these savings result in more affordable Suzuki diesel cars? Time will tell.