The maker of best-sellers such as Swift and Baleno could launch the Brezza with the option of two petrol engines
Maruti Suzuki, the country’s largest carmaker, could launch a petrol version of Vitara Brezza around September this year to counter its near-complete withdrawal from diesel.
The maker of best-sellers such as Swift and Baleno could launch the Brezza with the option of two petrol engines, both developed in-house by Maruti Suzuki.
An email to Maruti Suzuki on the Brezza petrol options did not elicit any response at the time of publishing this article.
The Delhi-based company on April 25 said it will phase out its only small diesel engine --the 1.3 litres, four-cylinder unit before switching to Bharat Stage VI completely from April 1, 2020.
Vitara Brezza, which is available only with a diesel engine currently, will likely get the K12 1.2-litre four-cylinder engine (also seen on the Swift and Ignis) and the 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine (also seen on the Ciaz and Ertiga), which features smart hybrid system, two independent sources have said.
The Vitara Brezza clocked an average monthly sale of little over 13,100 units last financial year which is a growth of six percent compared to 12,400 units sold in 2017-18. The Brezza has a share of nearly 50 percent in the sub-4 meter SUV segment in the domestic market followed by the Tata Nexon with a share of 15 percent.
A Fiat-derived 1.3 litre diesel engine is the only engine offered by Maruti Suzuki on the Brezza currently.
In comparison, each of the three models - Tata Nexon, Ford Ecosport, Mahindra XUV 300 - that rival the Brezza, come with a choice of at least one petrol and one diesel engine. The Hyundai's new SUV Venue, which is due to go on sale on May 21 will have two petrol and one diesel engine option. The Mahindra TUV300 also does not have a petrol option.
As buying a BS-VI diesel car will turn out to be more expensive than the BS-IV version, several manufacturers have been forced to review their future plans for diesel. Maruti Suzuki is the only company to have declared a pull-out from diesel engines even as its rivals keep a watch.
