Maruti 'YBA' sub-4m SUV to be powered by Fiat's 1.3L diesel engine - Report

27/05/2015 - 12:23 Maruti YBA, Maruti Suzuki Anjan Ravi

Planned 1.5-liter diesel engine has hit roadblocks.

The Maruti YBA (codename for the brand's sub-4 meter offering) is due to launch in India early next year. Several reports indicated that the YBA will debut Suzuki's new self-developed 1.5-liter diesel engine, but a report on Autocar India quashes those rumors.

Maruti YBA sub-4m SUV side spied — The YBA when launched will be positioned beneath the SX4 S-Cross (A-Cross). Image - GaadiWaadi.

According to the report, Suzuki has hit roadblocks with the development of the 1.5-liter diesel unit in the refinement and performance departments. As a result, the introduction of this new engine is pushed back to 2018, and the company will have to rely on other OEMs for sourcing larger diesel units.

The 1.5-liter diesel engine is in essence two 800 cc diesel units combined to form a 1.6-liter unit, and later downsized to 1.5-liters to avail small car excise duty benefits. The new 800 cc diesel engine will mark its debut on the Maruti Celerio diesel next month, however.

The Suzuki iM-4 concept is unlikely to inspire the design of the YBA. It will instead realize into a production compact SUV post 2017.

Also read: Maruti Ertiga facelift to come with SmartPlay system

For larger offerings such as the YBA compact SUV, Maruti will continue to source the 1.3-liter MultiJet diesel engine from Fiat, which powers all of its diesel offerings in the country, right from the Ritz to the Ciaz. The petrol engine though could be a 1.2-liter K-Series unit, or the all-new 1.0-liter Boosterjet turbocharged petrol engine which debuted at the Geneva Motor Show this year under the Suzuki iK-2 concept (Maruti YRA precursor).

Rivals: VW Taigun, Mahindra S101, Ford EcoSport, Tata Nexon
Expected Price: INR 5-8 lakhs, ex-showroom
Launch Date: January 2016 (unconfirmed)