BS6 diesel to be cleaner than petrol, says Mahindra’s president

While most automakers are dumping diesel engines and shifting towards petrol-hybrid and electric powertrain options, Indian automaker Mahindra continues to bet heavily on diesel engines. The president of Mahindra’s automotive business, Rajan Wadhera, has just said that diesel engines meeting Bharat Stage 6 emission norms will be cleaner than petrol engines.

Here is the statement he made,

Be it customer-led or regulation-led enforcement on diesel or petrol, we will be ready for it. Both the engines will be as clean as the fuel can be. It is unfortunate to see diesel getting bashed; BS VI diesel will be a cleaner fuel compared to petrol by 2020. Diesel cars are fun to drive and have higher energy efficiency too as the fuel inherently has more joules, which provides more torque. A litre of diesel will give 15km per litre while the same vehicle on petrol will give 9km per litre.

What he really means?

From the statement above, the president of Mahindra is saying that fuel quality is a major determining factor of emissions. According to him, BS6 diesel will be cleaner than petrol, and this will in turn make diesel engines much less polluting than what’s happening currently. This is a big reason why Mahindra is sticking to diesel engines, apart from introducing petrol engine options on all its vehicles where customers demand such an option.

Another big reason for Mahindra betting big on diesel engines is the higher fuel efficiency that diesels inherently offer. According to Mr. Wadhera, diesel engines are nearly 40% more efficient than petrol engines, despite having enough performance to offer the ‘fun to drive’ factor. He also feels that diesel getting bashed worldwide is something unfortunate. Over the past few months, multiple automakers such as Nissan, Toyota and Volvo have revealed a future minus diesel engines.

Via AutocarPro