Maruti to foray into the mini truck segment with the diesel-engined 'Y9T'

16/05/2013 - 14:05 Maruti Suzuki Nithyanandh K

There is no denying the statement that Maruti Suzuki understands the Indian car buyers' mindset better than anybody else.

Suzuki Ravi rear view — The Omni-based Suzuki Ravi sold in Pakistan is a ready example of an inexpensive load carrier designed for harsh road conditions.

However, will the knowledge and experience gained in the passenger car space help the company in its new found interest in the commercial vehicle space? Yes, MSIL is looking to venture into the burgeoning segment in the years to come!

Suzuki Ravi side view — The Ravi has a payload capacity of 600kg.

Economic Times reports that Maruti Suzuki's entry into the Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV) segment has been confirmed at the supplier conference which was held at Malaysia recently. The proposed LCV will be targeting the Tata Ace segment and is being engineered in-house by Maruti Suzuki's Indian R&D centre.

Suzuki Ravi top view — The Suzuki Ravi is the counterpart to the Tata Ace in Pakistan.

ET also reports that the LCV codenamed Y9T will be powered by a home grown 800cc twin-cylinder normally aspirated diesel engine. The commercial vehicle would be manufactured at the firm's upcoming factory in Gujarat which is expected to go one stream in 2016.

Suzuki Ravi front view — Power comes from a 800cc, three-cylinder 37hp gasoline engine. A CNG variant is also available.

Another interesting news is, Maruti could use the turbo charged version of the 800cc diesel engine to power its small cars. According to ET's sources, the automaker is also working on a family of diesel engines including a three cylinder 1.2 litre and a four cylinder 1.4 litre motor.

The new engines would enable Maruti to phase out the current 1.3 litre MultiJet Fiat engine which is accompanied by a heavy royalty fee.

The LCV market in India is growing at an impressive pace and the Maruti LCV would be targeting the Tata Ace and the Mahindra Maxximo. The new family of diesel engines would give Maruti a crucial advantage in the small car space, especially since Hyundai is coming up with a diesel i10 in its next generation.

Suzuki Ravi images are for illustrative purposes only.

[Source: Economictimes.Indiatimes.com]