The country’s largest passenger car manufacturer, Maruti Suzuki India, is working on a new engine, which would replace the existing engines of its 800 cc hatchback Alto and 1.1 litre Wagon R. Once the automaker replaces the existing engine of these two high-selling cars, it is expected that it would be in a position to lower their prices significantly, which would help it rev upsales.
The new engine would be more powerful and would be the next revolutionary change after the KB Series engine, fitted in Estillo, Ritz and A Star. The new engine is code named YP3.Currently F8D engines are fitted in Alto and Wagon R.
Maruti has already started procuring components for YP3, to be fitted in these two cars by year-end. The new engine will have two variants with two cylinders and three cylinders for Alto and Wagon R, respectively.
When contacted, a Maruti spokesperson said, "We do not comment on our future product and strategies".
The Maruti move comes at a time when global auto biggies like Toyota, Volkswagen, Honda and Nissan — are stuck with anemic growth in their recession-hit home markets like the US, Europe and Japan and are set to be aggressive in India with their small car models.