It is 2022. 2023 is around the corner. The stringent BS6 norms that started in 2020, have been quite strict. The automotive industry in India has faced a massive change, which has been very challenging for many automotive manufacturers. In the process of switching from BS4 to BS6, many vehicles have been discontinued in India, which did not meet emission norms have. Most notably, Fiat left India, many diesel cars were axed, even Volkswagen axed their diesel, and Maruti Suzuki switched completely to petrol, axing all their diesel cars, even the venerable 1.3 Multi-Jet engine and the 1.5 DDIS which had a lot of potentials.
If you think the hard part was over, it was just the beginning. Norms that kicked in in April 2020, are just phase 1 of the transition and phase 2 is set to be brought into the picture from April 2023. From April 2023, cars should meet BS6 emission norms in RDE (Real Driving Emission) conditions along with complying with MIDC lab conditions.
This way, powertrains that somehow passed phase 1, will be phased out in phase 2 if there is less demand. Honda and Mahindra seem to be shedding more cars than other manufacturers, because of this rule. It seems that because of the challenge of meeting such stringent emission norms, it is more feasible for manufacturers to discontinue cars that do not meet phase 2 rather than spending more in making the cars meet emission norms.
Honda will axe the Jazz, WR-V, 4th Gen City, Amaze diesel, and 5th gen City Diesel. Both Jazz and WR-V were at the end of their respective life cycles. Even though 4th generation Jazz is sold overseas, India never got it. The Jazz had lost its diesel powertrain and was only offered in a petrol option owing to the popularity of petrol engines with premium hatchbacks.
Mahindra had kept offering Marazzo and KUV100 for a long time despite extremely uninspiring sales (mostly zero). Alturas G4 will also slip through the cracks as rivals like Fortuner absolutely dominate this segment. From April 2023, Mahindra will pull the plug on three of its vehicles. The Marazzo, KUV100, and Alturas G4.
To conclude, stricter emission norms might cause the discontinuation of a few cars. Some engine options and cars will be missed, especially the MultiJet.