Maruti Suzuki India has no plans to introduce hybrid powertrains for its new Swift or any of its compact cars, company officials said at a promotional event for the new Swift in Bengaluru.
The company is going to introduce a CNG variant for the Swift soon, but the focus is now on the Z Series Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) with three cylinders that will replace the K series in all its models.
The executives said the new Swift with the Z Series engines offers a higher mileage and more value to buyers.
“Not everyone is investing in ICE, but we have invested ₹1,450 crore. It shows the
confidence of the organisation in ICE,” Maruti Suzuki India has no plans to introduce hybrid powertrains in its compact cars, company executives said at an event to promote the new Swift in Bengaluru, said Partho Banerjee, senior executive officer, marketing and sales, Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL).
Earlier, Maruti chairman R.C. Bhargava said the company is working on an affordable hybrid technology in Japan for small cars. But that technology will not be seen in the new Swift.
The company is working on its ICE engineering to meet stringent regulations rather than opting for expensive technology.
“There is no case for introducing hybrid systems in small cars. Hybrids are more suited for larger vehicles and are more expensive than petrol engines,” said Rahul Bharti, executive officer, corporate affairs, MSIL.
“We are meeting all regulations, the law of the land at the same time we are offering a value proposition to the customer. Six airbags cost money, we had to re-engineer the whole body to include the airbags. All this has a cost,” said Banerjee.
Sandeep Raina, executive officer, product planning, MSIL said: “What is the need for a hybrid when you have such a frugal ICE?”
When pointed out that the company has used a three-cylinder engine as against the previous four-cylinder, Raina said: “The total volume displacement is same as four-cylinder engine and there is a 14 per cent improvement in mileage in the variant with auto gear shift and 10 per cent in the variant with manual transmission over the old one.”
“At the same time, this engine delivers greater torque at low rpm, and makes the engine peppy.”
“Very rarely do you get all these components in one engine. And plus the innovations that have gone in the engine like an electric water pump to manage the thermodynamics, the lambda sensors that have made the combustion more efficient,” said Raina.