Suzuki launches K12M petrol engine for Ritz launched, diesel models soon

After the success of the Maruti Swift and DZire diesel variants, Maruti Suzuki India plans to provide diesel engines to the other models in its line-up of cars.
According to Maruti Suzuki, there is a a strong demand for diesel cars in the Indian market. The company currently does not manufacture any diesel engines other than the 1.3-litre multi-jet. Sourcing a new engine might take some time, it said.

S Nakanishi, managing director, Maruti Suzuki India, said, “There is a good demand for diesel cars in the Indian market, and we are looking at the possibility of introducing more diesel engine options. But, we face some capacity constraints for expansion.”

As per its long-term plan, Maruti plans to introduce a diesel version of the Suzuki Ritz, which will be launched in May 2009. The Ritz diesel will have a 1.3-litre engine.

The car maker produces two lakh 1.3-litre DDiS diesel engines in India, some of which are exported to Suzuki subsidiaries in Hungary.

Currently, Maruti does not have diesel offerings in Alto, WagonR, Zen Estilo and the recently launched A-Star.

Meanwhile, Suzuki Motor Corporation has been selling the 1.6-litre diesel variant of its SX4 sedan in Europe by sourcing the engines from Peugeot and Fiat. The same car in India is available in a petrol variant.

Suzuki also sells the 1.9-litre DDiS diesel variant of the Grant Vitara SUV in the UK. Reports say that Hyundai Motor is also planning to launch diesel variants of its small cars i10 and i20 soon. If this happens, Maruti will have enough competition on the diesel front too.

Meanwhile, on April 14, 2009, Maruti Suzuki has launched its second K-series petrol engine, Wall Street Journal has reported.

The report said that Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. will produce the K12M, its new range of 1,197-cubic centimeter aluminum engines, at its of Gurgaon facility.

The Suzuki Ritz will sport the new engine, when it is launched in May 2009.

“The K12M engine reflects the company’s continued focus on investment (in India) in long-term strategic projects which include expansion of manufacturing capacity and introduction of new engine technology,” the company was quoted as saying.