Maruti has been readying up a new 1.5 litre petrol mill to power its larger cars and the engine will make its debut with the 2018 Maruti Ciaz later this month. The 1.5 litre unit has almost become a necessity for country’s largest car manufacturer as it currently doesn’t have any petrol engine larger than its old 1.4 litre K14B VVT petrol unit.
The engine in consideration has been developed in Japan but will be manufactured in-house in India. While debuting in the 2018 Ciaz, it will come along with first in class Smart Hybrid Vehicle System (SHVS). Later, the same engine will power the larger cars from Maruti’s stable, like the Brezza, S-Cross and Ertiga.
However, the interesting development is that the same upcoming 1.5 litre petrol engine will power the Toyota Corolla Altis in the future, thanks to the global level alliance between Suzuki and Toyota. Though dates aren’t confirmed, as per sources, the new Corolla Altis variant is expected to be launched only around 2020. Also, at the moment it is yet to be confirmed if the 2020 Corolla will feature any kind of Hybrid technology.
Currently, in India, the Corolla Altis is offered with a 1.8 litre petrol engine option which produces 140 PS and 173 Nm of torque. The diesel variant employees a 1.4 litre mill which produces 88 PS and 205 Nm of torque. The new 1.5 liter petrol engine from Maruti is rated at 104 PS and 138 Nm, claiming fuel efficiency of 21+ kmpl.
The Suzuki Toyota partnership is also expected to bring in multiple badge-engineered products in India. To start with, Toyota will be launching Brezza and Baleno, with Toyota badge. On the other hand, Maruti will be launching the Corolla with Suzuki badge.
By 2020, you will be able to buy a Toyota Corolla with Maruti badge at Nexa outlets and Maruti Baleno, Vitara at Toyota dealers. As part of this deal, Suzuki will get access to Toyota’s world leading hybrid technology, which will help Suzuki to build their future cars, while Toyota will benefit from Suzuki’s network in India, and market their cars better in the region.
