Maruti Suzuki has re-introduced the 1.0-litre Boosterjet petrol engine with the Fronx crossover in the Indian market. This engine was first introduced in the Baleno RS; however, it was discontinued due to low sales. Now, MSIL is locally producing this powertrain to achieve competitive pricing. Moreover, the engine gets a mild-hybrid system to achieve optimum efficiency.
The local development and mild hybrid system will allow Maruti Suzuki to fit this engine in more products in our market. It is expected that MSIL could bring back the Baleno RS nameplate, which will feature the new Boosterjet powertrain. Moreover, the 3-cylinder turbo petrol engine could also power the Jimny and the Brezza sub-4 meter SUVs.
The Jimny and the Brezza with 1.0L engine would be able to receive benefit from the sub-4 meter tax subsidy. Both models are sub-4 meter SUVs, but with 1.5L petrol engine, they are not able to avail benefit from the small car tax. According to the norms, a sub-4 meter car with a petrol engine capacity of less than 1.2L capacity will benefit from the tax subsidy.
The 1.0L 3-cylinder turbocharged direct injection Boosterjet is capable of producing 100PS and 147Nm of torque. The 1.5L K Series engine that powers the Jimny and Brezza offers 103hp. Maruti Suzuki could tune the Boosterjet unit to produce higher power output. In fact, the same powertrain produces 110bhp in select international markets.
Maruti Suzuki is also preparing the next gen Swift hatchback, which will receive a petrol and a petrol engine with a strong hybrid powertrain. If reports are to be believed, MSIL could introduce the Swift Sport model with 1.0L Boosterjet engine.
Source – AutoCarIndia
