BS6 has already forced several diesel engines out, and more will be discontinued when Real Driving Emissions norms kick-in next year
Due to stricter emission standards, carmakers like Maruti, Volkswagen and Renault-Nissan have entirely discontinued diesel option across their portfolio. With new Real Driving Emissions (RDE) norms to be implemented from April 01, 2023, more exits are expected. This is especially true in case of small cars that currently offer diesel option. Hyundai i20 diesel is among the cars that are likely to be discontinued prior to implementation of RDE norms.
As compared to earlier emission norms that relied on data generated in a laboratory environment, RDE is stricter, as it measures emissions such as NOx in real world conditions. A significant mismatch was noted in lab emissions and real-world emissions of cars, which prompted developed markets such as Europe to implement RDE. It provides a more realistic view of emissions and works better in reducing emissions.
i20 diesel to be discontinued
From April 01, 2023, all diesel cars will be required to install selective catalytic reduction (SCR) systems. This is an expensive upgrade and diesel variants of small cars like i20 may not be able to accommodate it within a reasonable price range.
There is hardly any option for carmakers in such a scenario, other than to discontinue the diesel option. It remains to be seen if Tata Altroz will also lose out on its diesel motor. Discontinuing diesel option for i20 should not be much of a concern for Hyundai, as it accounts for just 10 percent of total sales of i20. It works out at roughly 700 units per month on an average.
However, the situation was quite different a few years back when i20 petrol and diesel sales were almost equal. High acquisition cost of diesel variants in comparison to their petrol counterparts and reduced gap in pricing of petrol and diesel fuel have impacted demand for diesel variants, especially in small car segment.
Earlier this year, diesel option was discontinued for Grand i10 Nios and Aura. Contribution of diesel variants to total sales of these cars was even less than that of i20. In case of Nios, diesel variants contributed less than 5%. Another factor was that Nios and Aura were utilizing a unique 1.2-litre, three-cylinder diesel motor that was not in use with any other Hyundai of Kia models. This further supported their discontinuation.
Venue and above to retain diesel option
In RDE era, Hyundai diesel range will start with Venue. While Venue has the same diesel engine (1.5-litre, 100 hp) as used with i20, contribution to sales is much higher at around 35%. That’s why Venue will continue with diesel option. Other Hyundai cars like Creta, Verna and Alcazar and some Kia models use a more powerful 115 hp version of the engine that has variable-geometry turbo (VGT).
As there’s good demand for diesel variants of these cars, the 1.5-litre CRDi engine will continue to be available after getting the RDE upgrade. It is possible that only the powerful 115 hp version will be upgraded. The 100 hp fixed-geometry turbo version may be discontinued altogether and Venue could be offered with the 115 hp motor. This will ensure that only one motor needs to be upgraded to RDE standards.
