Maruti To Put Diesel Vehicles On Backburner Over Stricter Emission Norms
Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) has ruled out returning to the diesel category since it anticipates that sales of such vehicles will fall further with the implementation of the next phase of emission requirements in 2023, According to a senior company executive.
The country’s largest manufacturer believes that the next phase of pollution standards will raise the cost of diesel vehicles, reducing their sales in a market that has been gradually shifting towards petrol automobiles for the past several years.
“We will not be operating in the diesel market. We had previously stated that we would investigate it and, if there is sufficient client demand, we could return. However, we will no longer be involved in the diesel industry “C V Raman, MSI’s chief technical officer, stated.
He noted future tighter emission regulations as one of the main reasons to avoid diesel-powered vehicles.”In 2023, a new phase of emission standards will take effect, potentially raising costs. As a result, we expect that diesel percentages will continue to fall. We are unaware of the competition, but as MSI, we have no plans to compete in the diesel sector “Mr. Raman made a point.
Diesel vehicles account for less than 17% of overall passenger vehicle (PV) sales, according to industry estimates. It’s a significant decrease from 2013-14, when diesel vehicles accounted for 60% of all sales.With the start of the BS-VI emission standard on April 1, 2020, many of the country’s automakers have already ditched diesel trims from their separate portfolios.With the implementation of the higher BS-VI emission standards, MSI dropped diesel models from its lineup.
There would be hybrid technologies and electric vehicles (EVs) going ahead, so there is going to be a lot of change from powertrain perspective, Mr Raman noted.