Next-Gen Hyundai Grand i10, Xcent to get BS6 1.2L Diesel Engine
Hyundai will introduce the BS6 compliant 1.2-litre diesel engine in India.
With BS6 emission norms coming in April 2020, automakers have started upgrading their existing engine line-up for the market. While Maruti Suzuki has decided to completely cease diesel production, Tata Motors and Mahindra will phase out their small diesel engines. However, Honda and Hyundai has announced to continue offer diesel cars post April 2020. It was speculated that the next-gen Hyundai Grand i10 and the Xcent sedan will only be offered in petrol engine. However, a new media report claims that Hyundai will introduce the BS6 compliant 1.2-litre diesel engine in India.
The new BS6 regulation will lead to massive increase in diesel car prices. In fact, the gap between respective petrol and diesel variants will go up to Rs 2 lakh from the current 1 lakh. Despite increase in cost of diesel cars, Hyundai plans to upgrade its 1.2-litre 3-cylinder diesel engine to meet the BS6 norms. This engine currently powers the Grand i10 and the Xcent. The report claims that Hyundai India has managed to work around the cost issues. The parent company had invested heavily in upgrading its diesel engines to Euro 6 for the European market.
Hyundai is eyeing the space that will be left behind once the Maruti Dzire, Swift and Baleno diesel variants phase out from the market. Maruti Suzuki currently sells 1.2 lakh units of the Dzire diesel a year and the Korean automaker is aiming to grab this market with the refreshed Xcent.
With next-gen Grand i10, Hyundai aims to capture the market that is currently captured by Swift diesel. The company sources suggest that upgrading the 1.2L BS4 engine to BS6 will cost around Rs 30,000 to 40,000. This figure is significantly less than the cost estimate (around 2 lakh) of Maruti Suzuki of upgrading the BS4 1.3L MJD diesel to BS6. Hyundai is also working on an all-new 1.5-litre diesel engine for the Indian market. This engine is reportedly to be introduced before the BS6 deadline. It will be offered in two states of tune and is most likely to power the Verna facelift.
Source – AutoCarIndia
