As the diesel car vertical draws more attention in India with the high selling SUV segment, India’s largest car manufacturer Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) is looking to join the segment once again, reported Business Standard, quoting sources.
The auto manufacturer had discontinued diesel models from its portfolio with the onset of BS-6 emission norms from April this year.
According to the report, MSI will be upgrading its Manesar plant so that it can start rolling out BS-6 diesel engine starting mid-2021 or during the festive season next year. The report further states that Ertiga and Virara Breeza will be the first to enter the market.
MSI had used this powertrain briefly in its mid-sized sedan Ciaz and Ertiga before deciding to pull the plug on the diesel segment. The company's other models like Vitara Brezza, Dzire, Swift, S-Cross and Baleno at that time used to be powered by the Fiat-sourced 1,300 diesel unit.
Maruti Suzuki reported a growth of 1.7 percent in its overall sales during November 2020 on a year-on-year basis.
The company sold 1,53,223 units of vehicles last month, against 1,50,630 units sold in November 2019. On a sequential basis, the company sold 1,82,448 units of vehicles in October 2020.
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