All of us know that BS6 norms already live in India. Though the lockdown has led to the extension of the deadline, we still have to say goodbye to Fiat 1.3 MJD, the ‘National Engine of India’. The engine powered many diesel cars in India. Maruti called it DDiS, while Tata called it Quadrajet! The Fiat 1.3 MJD has been used to power most of the compact diesel cars in India over the last decade! From Maruti Swift & Swift Dzire to the Fiat Punto, many successful cars in India had this mighty engine under the hood.
Read 30 Best Mileage Cars | Petrol, Diesel and CNG BS6 Cars
The popular Fiat 1.3 MJD was used to power 24 vehicles belonging to 5 brands in India. This engine had abundant torque and, at the same time, was economical to run. These qualities made it gain immense popularity among the Indian audience. Fiat tuned this engine to give 5 power outputs internationally. India got only 2 versions which gave out 75PS and 90PS. The peak torque figure for this engine was 190NM and 200Nm, respectively, for each version.
Read 22 Best BS6 Diesel Cars In India You Can Buy Right Now!
History
Fiat introduced the 1.3 MJD engine in 2003. It was awarded the ‘International Engine of the Year in 2005. Fiat claims to have manufactured 8,00,050 units of the engine till now. FCA had no plan to upgrade this one to a BA6-compliant one. Therefore, it decided to cease the production and discontinue the engine. This engine was marketed as DDiS by Maruti Suzuki, Quadrajet by Tata, Smartech by Chevrolet, and CRDi4 by Premier. The most popular diesel cars in India, like the Swift, DZire, Ignis, Vitara Brezza, and Ciaz, were powered by this engine.
What’s Next?
Maruti and Tata have already planned for the future. MSIL’s 1.5-litre DDiS is most likely to be updated to the BS6 emission norms. Tata Motors has already upgraded the 1.5-litre variant in the new Altroz and the Nexon. Fiat 1.3 MJD, therefore, struggles to exist in this era of BS6! Its discontinuation has put up a big doubt on the existence and sale of diesel cars in India.
The last units of the Fiat 1.3 MJD were on the production line on January 23, 2020. However, auto manufacturers claim that the spare parts will be available for the next 10 years. Let’s see how the Indian audience changes their preferences as most automakers have decided to discontinue the diesel range of vehicles.
