Maruti Vitara Brezza petrol to be launched in Diwali - Report

26/04/2019 - 11:07 Maruti Vitara Brezza, Maruti Suzuki Prashant Singh

Maruti Suzuki announced yesterday that it will discontinue all diesel models by March 2020. According to a report from Financial Express, the company will launch the highly anticipated Vitara Brezza petrol this Diwali.

2018 Maruti Vitara Brezza AMT front three quarters — The Maruti Vitara Brezza petrol will employ the K15B 1.5-litre engine and be available with 5-speed manual and 5-speed automated manual transmission choices.

The Maruti Vitara Brezza is India's best-selling SUV, but being a diesel-only model, it's not living up to its full potential. While the unavailability of a diesel engine in it will be a bummer, the introduction of a petrol engine in it will lower its entry-price and make it accessible to more customers.

Maruti Suzuki wanted to offer the Vitara Brezza with the K10C 1.0-litre BoosterJet petrol engine that produces 75 kW (101.97 PS) and 150 Nm of torque. However, this turbocharged three-cylinder mill imported from Japan proved to be too expensive and the fuel economy delivered by it wasn't good enough. So, the company has decided to go for the K15B 1.5-litre VVT naturally aspirated four-cylinder unit that develops 77 kW (104.69 PS) and 138 Nm of torque. It will offer the dual-battery Progressive Smart Hybrid mild-hybrid system in the petrol engine model.

As for the transmission choices, the 1.5-litre petrol engine will be paired with a 5-speed manual transmission initially. A 4-speed automatic transmission will be introduced as an option later.

2018 Maruti Vitara Brezza AMT front angle — Maruti Suzuki has decided to stop offering diesel engines due to the high cost of upgrading them to meet the BS-VI emission norms.

ALso read: Maruti Suzuki Baleno diesel and Maruti Baleno RS get a price hike

Diesel models contribute to around 30% sales for Maruti Suzuki, and the Vitara Brezza holds a major share in that. Moving forward, the company will work on expanding its CNG portfolio and introducing a full-hybrid powertrain to cater to customers giving a high priority to running cost.

[Source - FinancialExpress.com]