Well ahead of the timeline, Maruti Suzuki has released BSVI engines on their popular products in India. A total of 7 Maruti Suzuki cars now run on the latest BS6 compliant petrol engine, and this roll out is better than any other car manufacturer in India. The cars which have a BS6 petrol engine include the Alto 800, WagonR 1.2L, Swift, Baleno, Dzire, Ertiga and the upcoming XL6.
Maruti Suzuki reveals that their range of BS6 vehicles have nearly 25% lesser NOx emissions and 0 PM emissions. BS6 engines were needed to be ready by April 2020, and Maruti Suzuki is well ahead of this schedule. Also, although BS6 petrol / fuel is not available countrywide, there is no problem in running a BS6 engine with BS4 compatible petrol fuel. Maruti Suzuki actually jumped the gun and introduced BS6 variants of the Alto and Baleno nearly a year ahead of the stipulated timeline.
The BS6 rollout happened int he following phased manner – April 2019 for the Baleno and Alto 800. June 2019 for WagonR 1.2L, Swift and Dzire. July 2019 for the Ertiga MPV and August 2019 for the upcoming XL6 which is nothing but a 6-seater rugged derivative of the Ertiga. These new BS6 compatible models account for nearly 70% sales of their petrol powered range.
In the future, Maruti Suzuki will be phasing out the 1.3L DDiS diesel engine. The 1.3L motor which has been a huge success will not be updated to meet the BS6 emission norms. The brand has developed in-house a new 1.5L diesel engine which is BS6 compatible, and the updated engine could roll out in the weeks to come. But it remains unclear if this higher capacity 1.5L diesel engine will be used in cars like Swift, Baleno and Dzire. Maruti Suzuki cannot afford not to have a diesel engine option in the hatchback space, as projections reveal that cars with an internal combustion engine are here to stay at least till 2030, and diesel-powered cars will remain popular for better mileage and better torque which results in better in-city driving.