Isuzu’s D-Max V-Cross BS6 is expected to launch at a price hike of at least Rs 3-4 lakh over the outgoing BS4 model
Isuzu Motors India has announced that its BS6-compliant range of products, including the popular D-Max V-Cross BS6 lifestyle pick-up truck, will be launched only by the second half of 2020. The decision was made on account of India’s ongoing lockdown measures to confine the spread of COVID-19 aka corona virus. The Japanese automaker had already shared that it had stopped production of BS4 vehicles well ahead of the stipulated deadline — which has been postponed now but on a conditional basis.
Besides shifting the launch time for its upcoming BS6 models, Isuzu Motors India has also extended its service and warranty periods. Vehicles with a warranty that expires/expired in the period of March 15 to April 15, 2020, can now avail the services till the end of May 2020. Furthermore, periodic service or other maintenance works that were scheduled within the same period can also be availed by May 2020.
However, the company has mentioned that these dates could vary as India is going through a period of extreme uncertainty. In fact, the current 21-day lockdown measures could see an extension if matters do not come in control.
The main intention of the lockdown is to limit the spread of COVID-19 and thereby ‘flatten the curve’. Despite being an effective and highly-recommended practice, several businesses (including automotive dealerships) are facing a huge amount of losses. In fact, India’s automotive industry alone is witnessing losses summing up to more than a thousand crore rupees with each passing day — read more details.
Coming back to Isuzu’s upcoming BS6 line-up, reports state that they will be significantly costlier than their BS4 counterparts. For instance, the Isuzu D-Max V-Cross BS6 will see a price hike of at least Rs 3-4 lakh. Commercial vehicles such as D-Max Regular cab and D-Max S-Cab will get a hike of roughly Rs 1-1.5 lakh over its current ex-showroom price. One of the main reasons for such a high price hike is that diesel engines require substantial re-engineering to meet stringent emission norms, compared to an equivalent petrol motor.
In addition to this, modern diesel engines would have to incorporate Ad Blue technology. This is essentially an additional tank of urea which when mixed with diesel fuel cuts down emissions by a good margin. We have talked about the same in our detailed Kia Carnival first-drive review.