Maruti Suzuki to sell only Vitara Brezza diesel in India
Maruti Suzuki will initially sell only the diesel version of the Vitara Brezza in India. It will be powered by the tried and tested, Fiat sourced 1.3-litre DDiS diesel engine that also powers the Ertiga and the Ciaz with SHVS technology. At a later stage, a petrol variant might also be offered. The Vitara Brezza is an all-new sub-four-metre SUV that will be unveiled at the upcoming 2016 Auto Expo.
In India, the government offers certain tax benefits for vehicles that are below four-metres in length and are powered by engines with less than 1.2-litre and 1.5-litre displacement for petrol and diesel respectively. The export version of the Maruti Vitara Brezza gets a 1.5-litre petrol engine. This petrol engine would have disqualified Maruti's SUV from availing the tax benefits for compact vehicles. Although Maruti hasn't announced it officially, we believe this is the reason why Maruti will sell the Vitara Brezza only with a diesel engine.
The Vitara Brezza is Maruti's all-new, sub-four-metre compact SUV that has been completely designed and developed in-house. The global R&D team didn't have a say in this project and the entire decisions were taken by the inhouse R&D team. The project was headed by CV Raman, executive director engineering at MSIL.
Once launched, the Maruti Vitara Brezza will compete against the likes of the Ford EcoSport and Mahindra TUV300. We expect Maruti to launch the Vitara Brezza just after the expo.
For more from OVERDRIVE on the Maruti Vitara Brezza
2016 Auto Expo: Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza teaser video
Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza completely developed in India
Maruti Vitara Brezza to be unveiled at Auto Expo 2016
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