Maruti to source 1.6 litre diesel Fiat engine for S-Cross; developing own 1.5 litre engine

NEW DELHI: Looking to power its forthcoming models with bigger engines, Maruti Suzuki India is planning to source a 1.6 litre diesel Fiat engine, reported ET Now. According to ET Now sources, the 1.6 litre diesel will be fitted in the carmaker's upcoming S-Cross.

Maruti may also introduce a 1.6 litre diesel engine variant of its sedan Ciaz, said ET Now. Currently the Ciaz is powered by a 1.3 litre Fiat diesel engine. "Maruti has received feedback from the market that the Ciaz diesel is underpowered," reported ET Now.

The 1.3 litre diesel engine is used by Maruti in Swift, Swift Dzire and Ciaz. The same engine is also used by Tata and Fiat in India. The 1.6 litre Fiat engine has not been used by any car manufacturer in India till now, added the channel.

ET Now sources went on to add that the new engine will be used as a stop gap arrangement by Maruti. "The company has started R&D for making its own 1.5 litre diesel engine, which should come to the market by 2017," ET Now said.





Production of the S-Cross has started at Maruti's Gurgaon plant, and further details are expected to be announced in the coming days, reported Indianautosblog.com.

Meanwhile, India's automotive market remained positive in May with all major car companies improving sales largely due to recent model launches and a lower base a year earlier, helping the industry post growth of 6-7 per cent last month, following an 18 per cent increase in April.

A significant quantum of the growth came from market leader Maruti Suzuki, which posted a 13.8 per cent increase in total sales to 114,825 units. The company’s domestic sales rose 13 per cent to 102,359 units while exports rose 20 per cent to 12,466 cars. The company said demand for new models such as Alto K10 and Ciaz pushed retail sales. Maruti sold 5,012 units of the mid-sized sedan Ciaz, launched in October, while compact models including Alto and WagonR grew 20 per cent to 35,062 units.