"The diesel engine will be in the 600-700 cc range like the petrol version and could be priced at a slight premium over the current variants," according to a The Times of India article, citing vendor sources. The little engine will be a compact 2-cylinder unit, with a turbocharger and common rail system.
The same source suggest a retail price of INR180,000 to INR220,000 (about $4,000 to $4,900), making it the cheapest diesel in the Indian market. Output is expected to be 20-30 percent better that what is usually expected from an engine of that displacement.
Tata has partnered up with some big names in the auto industry for this project, as Honeywell will be supplying one of its newly developed turbo systems, the smallest one in the world. The common rail direct injection (CRDi) system will be manufactured by none other than Bosh. Other partners included in the project include AVL, FEV and Ricardo.
The Indian carmaker had originally planned to release the diesel right after the petrol version’s launch, but major delays were caused by production facilities being moved from Singur to Sanand in Gujarat. Demand for diesels is strong in India, as such versions of the Suzuki Swift, Dzire and Ford Figo come with long waiting lists. Even Honda, one of the carmakers most associated with high-revving petrol powerplants, is developing a small diesel engine which will be introduced in the Indian market.
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