Maruti’s tallboy cereal car, the Celerio, has done quite well for itself. Currently, only available with a 1.0-litre petrol motor, the hatchback was planned to get a diesel heart, soon. The 2-cylinder oil-burner is to displace a mere 793cc and would to make its debut in a goods-carrier, which has letters and a number in its name, codenamed Y9T by Maruti. This tiny motor, when introduced in the Celerio diesel, will become the smallest capacity diesel engine to power any car in India.
Maruti will have a definite winner in their hands, if this diesel engine is to deliver, the claimed fuel-efficiency figure of 30.1 kpl! If this turns out to be true, then you could be owner of a car, that actually manages to be as frugal as some motorcycles in the market. Talking of the Maruti Celerio diesel, Economic Times claims that the launch will see some procrastination by Maruti. The reason is simple, with the dropping prices of petrol, the “fuel of the masses”, i.e. diesel, doesn’t have much of a tug, now. With carmakers rushing to take advantage of this opportunity, cars powered by diesel motors, don’t seem very alluring. That’s how it seems like, at the moment.
The current petrol-powered Celerio AMT.
The Y9T has been postponed by some months, as well. This is traceable to the slowdown in sales within the Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV) segment. The Celerio diesel is slotted to begin production only in April of this year. Maruti is aiming to sell only about a thousand units every month. To add to the delay, the indigenously designed and produced 793cc motor is also facing some technical snags. Tell us what you think about the Maruti Celerio diesel in the comments section, below.