Maruti to make 800 cc diesel LCV, engine may also power small cars

Maruti is planning to develop a small, light-commercial vehicle that will compete with the Tata Ace and Mahindra Maxximo. What’s interesting is that these vehicles will be powered by an 800 cc two cylinder diesel engine – an engine that can see multiple applications.

According to an Economic Times report this diesel engine LCV would be made in India sometime after 2015. A few months ago, there was news of Maruti developing a two-cylinder 800 cc diesel engine in India which could power some of the company’s small cars. So far Maruti uses the 1.3 litre multijet diesel in its premium hatchback and compact sedan range, as well as the Maruti Ertiga. Also read: Maruti to make two-cylinder 800 cc diesel engine

Maruti to develop 800 cc diesel LCV — Photo: The present Suzuki Carry LCV in SE Asia

It will be developing a 1-litre three-cylinder variant of the same engine or sourcing it from Fiat for its smaller hatchbacks such as the Wagon-R sometime next year.

Maruti has been the leader in small passenger cars, but when it comes to commercial load carrying vehicles, it doesn’t have a presence in this space. So far it has made do with cargo versions of its Maruti Omni mini van and the Maruti Eeco. The Omni and Eeco have pick-up variants in Japan, but Maruti hasn’t exploited that for India yet. Also read: Five practical cars that should be launched in India

The new project codenamed “AP” may be an all-new platform that Maruti may use for India or it may pick up the Suzuki Carry platform from South East Asia for this. The Suzuki Carry is the pick-up version of what we know as the Maruti Eeco in India. With more and more cities banning large trucks from entering the city due to congestion, the hub and spoke model for transport is getting increasingly popular. Here large trucks park at the outskirts of the city and smaller trucks handle the doorstep to doorstep shipping duties. Currently Tata has over 50% market share in this space, with Mahindra, Piaggio, Force and others also present.

The engine that is being developed is expected to develop about 40 bhp of power and 90 Nm of torque. While its first application could be the light commercial vehicle, the potential to use this engine in other small cars from the company is tempting.

Share your thoughts on the potential applications of this motor from Maruti.

Source: Economic Times