[GTO]

Cars worth showing off! I'm happy that Maruti's R&D is finally exploring,learning and developing new technologies. We could soon have Maruti, Mahindra-Reva, Tata and Hyundai EVs in India!

Highpoints:

- Maruti Suzuki will showcase 10 SX4 Hybrids and 4 ‘Eeco Charge’ vehicles. The cars are intended for use at the forthcoming Commonwealth Games.

- It is Maruti Suzuki engineers who have developed these vehicles. Maruti is keen to expand its learnings on green technologies that put minimal stress on non-renewable energy. A team of 25 Maruti Suzuki engineers worked on this project with global hybrid technology & component suppliers.

- The SX4 Hybrid is a Full Parallel Hybrid with Automated Manual Transmission (AMT). The hybrid system features an electric motor and twin clutch arrangement, with lithium-ion battery technology. This concept combines a 1.2 litre K-series petrol engine and a 50 kW electric motor. Together, these provide high fuel economy and lower emissions. The SX4 Hybrid is also capable of running solely on its electric motor, offering a further boost to fuel efficiency and zero emission modes in city driving.

- The ‘Eeco Charge’ is a zero-emission, pure electric vehicle. It is powered by a 50kW motor and a 24kWh Lithium-ion battery. On full charge, it promises a driving range of around 100 km and attains a top speed of 100 kph. The ‘Eeco Charge’ also has a ‘Sport Mode’ for quicker acceleration. The battery has been packaged under the floor for retaining ample boot space. A real time display of 'State of Charge' and ‘Distance to Empty’ is provided. The ‘Eeco Charge’ can be charged using household power sources.

- The SX4 Hybrid and ‘Eeco Charge’ concept development has been taken up by Maruti Suzuki as a part of the Government initiated and SIAM coordinated NHPP & MNRE National Hybrid Propulsion Program (NHPP) and the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy Sources (MNRE)’s High Energy Density Battery Development Program.

[sajo]

Thats completely praiseworthy news!!

I like the way Indian companies are gung ho about alternative energy and economical options.
85ps 1.2 L engine + a 67 odd hp electric motor! This is actually a better option for us enthusiasts than the regular 1.6 motor.

[raghav.carfreak]

This is awesome news, specially in the backdrop of the negative publicity the CWG is receiving, although not sports/infrastructure related, something to definitely cheer for!
I'm guessing it's too early to ask when these prototypes would go into production right?

[_raVan_]

Excellent move in the right direction! Kudos to the SX4 Hybrid team for pulling it off. Hope that this soon hits the production line. Coming from the Maruti Suzuki stables, hope that they price it right.

SX4 Hybrid vs SX4 Diesel that would be legendary given that hybrids give good averages and same goes to diesel variant both will do very well if launched in a good price range, most likely the hybrid will be a bit more expensive than even the diesel variant but offer a cleaner car not to mention lower noise levels.

[BuRnT RuBbEr]

atleast something positive out of the CWG, apart from extended metro. Situation on the ground for us motorists is very very bad because of dedicated lanes for these fellows. more than half the offices in gurgaon have moved to a 7am-4pm timing. and even that is not helping things. we're paying toll for the expressway and these guys are getting the lanes.

thinking out loud: how about a diesel+electric hybrid? say, a one liter diesel with about 100nm torque. crdi' are already much more frugal than petrols. add hybrid and you get even better results, hmm?

P.S: this may be a rant, but is certainly not a one-liner.

[blackasta]

Finally - a hybrid from a known big car company in India. Please please please make these production versions.
The ball is now in Govt. of India's court to provide excise break for these vehicles akin to the one for sub 4 m vehicles.
That should keep the prices low->these models sell well -> we have lower fuel bill-> the environment is saved!
But I really doubt whether the oil cartel would let that happen.

P.S: I am assuming the AMT is something like triptronic!

[Amartya]

Thanks for sharing this. I am glad that Maruti's R&D is finally doing something worthwhile.
In India, there's the fact that nothing boosts customer confidence in new technology(for India) more than a Maruti offering being in the fray. While we can argue that it is not strictly the case citing automatic gearbox's in the Zen and Esteem in the nineties, but this takes time.

Having Maruti on board for Hybrid and electric technology is bound to help.

[GTO]

You know what I'm really excited about? The only other Hybrid vehicles ever on sale in India have been the Civic Hybrid and Toyota Prius. Either was outrageously priced.

When a Maruti talks hybrid, you better be sure it will be priced sensibly.

Also, Maruti's R&D (after a 2 decade long dormancy) seems to have finally woken up!

Originally Posted by sajo

85ps 1.2 L engine + a 67 odd hp electric motor! This is actually a better option for us enthusiasts than the regular 1.6 motor.

Originally Posted by raghav.carfreak

I'm guessing it's too early to ask when these prototypes would go into production right?

Never say never. Maruti is going to need some USPs to maintain its market share. Remember how they introduced sequential CNG kits for 5 of its cars recently?

Originally Posted by BuRnT RuBbEr

thinking out loud: how about a diesel+electric hybrid? say, a one liter diesel with about 100nm torque. crdi' are already much more frugal than petrols. add hybrid and you get even better results, hmm?

A Dzire diesel hybrid would give like 25 kpl in the city!

Originally Posted by Amartya

Thanks for sharing this. I am glad that Maruti's R&D is finally doing something worthwhile.

You bet! Till now, they've only been busy with headlamp and radiator grille designs.

[fx45]

Maruti must launch ECO charge in mumbai for taxi market similar Ford which sells Escape Hybrid's for Newyork taxi market

[vasoo]

Originally Posted by GTO

You know what I'm really excited about? The only other Hybrid vehicles ever on sale in India have been the Civic Hybrid and Toyota Prius. Either was outrageously priced.

When a Maruti talks hybrid, you better be sure it will be priced sensibly.

Also, Maruti's R&D (after a 2 decade long dormancy) seems to have finally woken up!

....

I thought a Scorpio Hybrid was already launched by Mahindra sometime back.

PS.

Ok. I know that it is not actually a Hybrid engine, but an eco-friendly one called "micro hybrid".

[Su-47]

SX4: 50KW sounds like a lot of power for the electric motor given that the likes of Civic Hybrid have only a 20hp motor.

Eeco: 50KW motor, 24KWH Battery == Less than half an hour on full power? If the max speed it can attain is 100kph at full power, how can it have a range of 100Km?

[Abhi_Automobile]

thinking out loud: how about a diesel+electric hybrid? say, a one liter diesel with about 100nm torque. crdi' are already much more frugal than petrols. add hybrid and you get even better results, hmm?

I have learnt that Peugeot will be launching Diesel hybrid soon. If mated properly, a small Diesel engine and a decently powerful electric motor can yield exceptional fuel efficiency. Peugeot Unveils Diesel Hybrid Crossover - I4U News

[d3mon]

It certainly won't have a range of 100km going at it's top speed!

The power needed to achieve a certain speed goes up exponentially with speed.

So, it would probably be using less than 1/4th the power at half the speed and so on.

That means 2 hrs @ 50kph = 100km (voila!)

[DicKy]

Good to know that it's a real hybrid.
Had a bad feeling that it would be some LPG models that the newspapers was hailing about.
Too good to be true. Now only if Maruti launched this on the friendly side of 10 lac, sure there would be many takers.
BTW, heard that Tata was the official transportation,any news from them?