Maruti Suzuki India’s today announced that half of its petrol line-up is already Bharat Stage VI or BS6 compliant. The Indo-Japanese carmaker is the first OEM to bring BS6 compliant vehicles in the mass segment, ahead of the statutory timeline, and currently, the Alto 800, Wagon R 1.2, and petrol options of the Swift, Baleno, Dzire, and Ertiga have already made the shift to BS6. In fact, the BS6 models offered by the company currently constitute around 70 percent of the total petrol vehicles sold. Now, the carmaker has confirmed that the upcoming Maruti Suzuki XL6 premium MPV will also be BS6 compliant from the time of its launch, which is slated for August 21, 2019.
Like the aforementioned models, the upcoming Maruti Suzuki XL6 is likely to get only a petrol BS6 engine, while the diesel options are likely to remain BS4 compliant for now. The new XL6 will get the new BS6 compliant 1.5-liter K15 petrol motor with the company’s SHVS (Smart Hybrid Vehicle by Suzuki) technology, which was recently introduced in the Ertiga. The XL6 is also likely to come with the Ertiga’s 1.5-litre diesel motor. Both engines are mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox as standard, along with an optional 4-speed automatic torque converter for the petrol model.
The new Maruti Suzuki XL6 will get the same 1.5-liter BS6 petrol engine that powers the Ertiga
Maruti Suzuki introduced its first BS6 compliant petrol car, a Baleno in April 2019. This was followed by the launch of BS6 compliant petrol variants of Alto 800, WagonR (1.2-litre), Swift, Dzire, and Ertiga much before the government stipulated date of implementation of the regulations. The BS6 compliant petrol vehicles will lead to a substantial reduction of nearly 25 percent in Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) emissions.
Talking about the company’s proactive measures to introduce BS6 cars beforehand, Kenichi Ayukawa, Managing Director & CEO, Maruti Suzuki India said, “As a responsible and environment-conscious brand, Maruti Suzuki is aligned with Government of India’s vision to introduce BS6 compliant vehicles before April 2020. Seven of our top-selling models are BS6 compliant much before the deadline. We are committed to progressively upgrade our entire range of petrol cars to BS6 technology before stipulated timelines. The BS6 vehicles use Suzuki’s proven technology that helps to substantially reduce the emissions thus contributing to a cleaner and greener environment.”