If they are leading the sales race in the Indian market for decades, it is not by chance. Maruti Suzuki has been very quick to have their cars upgraded to BS6 emission standards and now, cumulative sales have crossed 5 lakh units in 10 months. With 10 models from the stable now compatible with BS6 emission norms, achieving this feat has been easy, and is far bigger a number than what the competition has managed so far. Point to be noted, only the petrol range of Maruti Suzuki cars have been upgraded to BS6 norms.
The timeline for all brands to have their products meet BS6 emission standards is end of March, 2020. Maruti Suzuki first introduced their BS6 compliant product in April 2019, which was a full year in advance when the timeline is considered. The BS6 models include Alto, Eeco, S-Presso, Celerio, WagonR, Swift, Baleno, Dzire, Ertiga and XL6. These models are said to contribute almost 75% of petrol car volumes for the brand.
When the BS6 norms come into effect, Maruti Suzuki will only have petrol powered cars on offer. The brand is yet to decide if it is worth the investment to upgrade their only diesel engine, which is the 1.5L 4-cylinder block. It is a shame that the diesel motor is on a backfoot, as the engine was quite a gem from the Maruti Suzuki stable, and developed in-house.
Maruti Suzuki has also clarified to customers that buying a BS6 car and running it with BS4 grade petrol will not cause any serious damage to the vehicle. Thanks to this emission norms update, the NOx emission has reduced by 25% while there is 0 PM emission from the tail pipe.
At the Auto Expo 2020 which is scheduled in the coming weeks, the brand will showcase a host of electric car options for the Indian market. While we know that an electric WagonR is on the cards, Maruti Suzuki will also reveal the Futuro-E concept which will be an electric coupe SUV concept to be launched may be in 2021-22.
