Confirmed to be launched in the next two months, new Maruti Celerio diesel variant is the next big ‘small car’ launch from the country’s largest small car manufacturer.
New Maruti Celerio diesel will be the same car as current Celerio, but with a new engine. This engine is a 793 cc twin cylinder mill, which generates power output of about 58 hp and delivers 150 Nm peak torque. Developed over a period of several years, this is the smallest engine which will be produced under the Suzuki badge.
Speaking to Times of India, Kenichi Ayukawa, Maruti Suzuki India’s CEO and MD, confirmed that Celerio diesel will deliver a mileage close to 30 kmpl. This easily makes it the most fuel efficient car in the country (a record which currently lies with another Maruti product – Swift DZire diesel with 26.59 kmpl).
On the condition of anonymity, person close to the development has said that the company aims to produce 1 lakh units of this new diesel engine.
To be low on maintenance and high on fuel efficiency, Maruti aims to sell several thousands of Celerio diesel, in addition to the existing petrol variant. Considering that Maruti sells about 5,000 units of Celerio petrol currently, one can expect this number to increase considerably post the launch of diesel variant.
Maruti will use the same engine to power more cars of theirs. This could include their best selling cars like Alto, and WagonR. Apart from powering their passenger cars, this new diesel engine will also power Maruti’s all-new Super Carry LCV, which is also going to be launched later this year. This new LCV will compete in the entry level segment with the likes of Tata Ace and Mahindra Maxximo, both of which rule the segment.
