Fiat's 1.3 L Multijet diesel production to end by 2020 - Report

Fiat will pull the plug on its 1.3 L Multijet diesel engine by the end of the decade according to a report by Autocar India. The engine will require significant upgrades to comply with BS VI regulations that will be imposed 2020 onwards. Fiat has no plans to invest money to prepare the engine for stricter emission norms.

MSIL and Tata Motors are currently two of the biggest customers of the 1.3 L Multijet engine. However, both manufacturers are looking to end their reliance on Fiat for their diesel powered products. Suzuki is developing a new 1.5 L four cylinder diesel in-house, which according to some reports, is in its final stage of testing. Tata too has started rolling out products powered by their Revotorq series developed in-house.

Maruti Suzuki manufactures the 1,248 cc diesel engine locally under license from FCA. Heavy localisation and high volumes have led to economies of scale. But SMC, according to the report, took the call to terminate the partnership since Osamu Suzuki was not keen on paying royalties to Fiat.

While FCA continues to sell Fiat cars in India, their annual sales volume of circa 6,000 units does not justify the investment required to make the 1.3 L unit BS VI compliant. With FCA's focus shifting towards Jeep, the Fiat brand might just be killed off in India.

FCA's 1.3 L Multijet engine has managed to clock 3 million units in sales powering 24 different cars from five different car manufacturers including Tata, Maruti, Chevrolet, Premier and Fiat itself. While the 1.3 L Multijet might be reaching the end of its glorious lifecycle, the 'Multijet' family will march on in the form of the 2.0 L Multijet II powering the Jeep Compass and future products like Tata's upcoming Q501/502 SUVs. A 1.6 L Multijet diesel powers the Maruti S-Cross, but MSIL is reportedly ditching that variant with the launch of the facelift this month.

[source - Autocar India]