Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. has plans to develop a new 1.5L diesel engine. The engine will be developed in-house and used in the compact SUV on Swift's platform.
The Japanese manufacturer currently uses Fiat's 1.3L diesel engine in it's cars. It uses the engine in all of their diesel offerings. That include the Swift, Ritz, Dzire and SX4, however 75Ps power is not favourable for a SUV.
Rival compact SUV's like Renault Duster, Ford Eco-Sport and Honda's SUV based on the Brio, all have powerful diesel options.
Kenichi Ayukawa, Managing Director and CEO MSIL says, "The 1.3-litre Fiat engine is a little small for a SUV. We would like to have an engine that has a power of at least 90Ps or thereabout". He also adds, "Suzuki is developing a range of diesel engines and we are looking at a suitable 1.5-litre powertrain. Fiat also has a bigger 1.6-litre engine, all options are open".
Maruti Suzuki has displayed the concept XA Alpha, during Delhi Auto Expo 2012. It generally takes a company two years to develop a car from concept stage, however the SUV will be available only by 2015 in Indian markets.