2015 Maruti Suzuki Celerio Diesel – New Rumoured Details

Maruti Suzuki is said to be readying up a diesel powered version of the Celerio hatchback for a launch early next year. While videos of the Celerio Diesel hatchback on-test depict the typical clatter and exhaust of a twin cylinder turbo diesel motor, Maruti Suzuki – in typical fashion – has been tight lipped about the much-anticipated budget car.

In what happens to be the latest set of rumoured details on the Celerio Diesel, Gaadi reports that car’s priced will start at 4.6 lakh rupees, which makes the diesel powered hatchback about 85,000 rupees pricier than its petrol powered sibling. Also, the Celerio Diesel is speculated to arrive in four variants – LXi, VXi, ZXi and ZXi (O).

The Celerio Diesel, touted to use a newly developed, twin cylinder 792 cc turbo diesel engine, is likely to be equipped with a manual gearbox. Although Maruti Suzuki offers a 5 speed automated manual transmission on the petrol powered Celerio, such a transmission option is not likely to make it to the diesel motor given the higher associated costs.

The Celerio hatchback – sold with petrol and CNG fuel options – has been having a very successful run at the hustings, with the AMT equipped variants doing as well as the manual gearbox equipped variants, surprising both Maruti Suzuki and industry watchers alike.

Although Maruti Suzuki has tasted success with the AMT equipped Celerio, it remains to be seen if the Indian automaker can pull off something similar with the diesel powered variants, especially given the challenges surrounding the refinement levels of the twin cylinder diesel engine.

The diesel engine of the Celerio is said to be based on the 792 cc-twin cylinder motor that Maruti Suzuki is developing for use in the Y9T mini pick up truck, and the engine’s refinement levels may not match the exacting standards demanded by the passenger car segment.

Achieving a high refinement level for the twin cylinder, turbo diesel motor will be one of the biggest challenges for Maruti Suzuki engineers working on the Celerio Diesel project. For now, the Celerio Diesel remains a project car whose production timeline remains uncertain.