Will Maruti Suzuki diesel cars make a comeback?
| Photo Credit: Representative Image  Ever since Maruti Suzuki decided to stop selling diesel cars in India, there have been rumours that it could make a comeback. This is because most of Maruti's rivals like Hyundai and Tata have still not given up on diesel powerplants, even though they have a very lean portfolio of diesel-powered cars. The rumours of Maruti Suzuki diesel cars making a comeback gain strength from some media reports suggesting that cars like Ertiga, S-Cross, and Vitara Brezza could get the option of diesel engine next year. Officially, the carmaker has made no such announcements. In fact, while speaking to Times Drive, Shashank Srivastava, Senior Executive Director, Maruti Suzuki India Limited, clearly said that the company will reconsider diesel vehicles only if there is a substantial market, which isn't the case as of now. This is why the carmaker is focusing on petrol hybrid and CNG powertrain for its future vehicles. The share of diesel cars in India has shrunk dramatically over the last few years and lingers around only 17 to 18 per cent. Out of this, the share of diesel cars in the hatchback segment was less than 0.2 per cent last year while that in the case of sedans was around 6 per cent. Even in the case of sub-compact SUVs, the market is more tilted towards petrol vehicles. So, the segments that make up most of Maruti Suzuki's portfolio don't have a substantial demand for diesel vehicles. The only segment where diesel cars have a notable share is the compact and full-size SUV segment where diesel accounted for 24 per cent of the sales last year. Now, this is one category where Maruti Suzuki doesn't have a commanding presence; the only compact SUV in its lineup -- S-Cross -- isn't racking up as many sales as the company had hoped for. To address this, Maruti Suzuki is evaluating a new offering to rival the likes of Kia Seltos, Hyundai Creta, and more. Not necessarily, especially when the price difference between petrol and diesel is narrowing and the economic benefit of buying a diesel vehicle is not significantly rewarding. So, if the company can come up with an SUV that offers exciting performance and is loaded with features then we reckon it has strong chances of giving its rivals a run for their money even with petrol powertrains. To cut a long story short, the chances of Maruti Suzuki diesel cars making a comeback are very few because of low demand. Instead, we can expect some hybrid and increased number of CNG models.