Maruti and the art of mileage milestones

Mileage is clearly the mantra at Maruti-Suzuki. Last month, the company launched the refreshed Swift DZire diesel which delivers 26.59 kilometres to a litre and is the country’s most fuel-efficient car.

The Ciaz diesel is not too far behind at 26.2 kmpl followed by the Swift (diesel) with 25.2 kmpl. The Alto K10 (petrol) delivers 24.1 kmpl and the Celerio 23.1 kmpl. “Fuel efficiency is a continuous effort and we want to be the top runner as part of our corporate philosophy,” says CV Raman, Executive Director (Engineering).

According to him, running costs for a car should be the lowest from the customer’s point of view. In addition, he/she is concerned about pricing, top-class design and features. Running costs are critical especially when there is an element of volatility in fuel pricing. Likewise, maintenance costs are priority which explains why Maruti focuses on quality service centres across the country.

Ask Raman when the company hopes to breach the 30 kmpl barrier and he reminds you of the Alto launched in Japan last December at a mileage of 37 kmpl. Suzuki had stated that this model adopted a newly-developed platform for the first time with weight reduction of nearly 60 kg.

The important takeaway is that the Alto in Japan is a 660cc car on a light platform. This, Raman says, is the challenge for Maruti as it will require a lot of effort if it has to be replicated in India. Naturally, he refuses to comment on the 30 kmpl target but is hopeful that this will become a reality over the next 3-4 years. This will involve bringing the sort of technology to include a new platform, engine and top-class efficiencies. As a single combination, there will be a sizable cost element involved. “We have to bring it at an affordable cost since Indian customers are value–sensitive,” says Raman.

At Maruti, the key areas of technological development include fuel efficiency, safety, comfort and the environment. To achieve higher mileage, work around the engine focused on variable valve timing, increase in compression ratio and friction reduction.

On the body side, the target was to reduce weight, rolling resistance and drag. This resulted in a lighter fuel tank (by 3 kg where plastic replaced sheet metal) as well as the intake manifold (plastic for aluminium) and starter motor. The results were encouraging as in the case of the Swift where the new version was bigger in size and yet lighter by 20 kg. Similarly, the Alto 800 showed a five per cent improvement in drag coefficient. For the recently launched Ciaz, Maruti was only too aware of its image as a small carmaker which had not made much headway in the premium space. This time, the team focused on design and a host of features following feedback from an exhaustive market survey.

It was clear that customers wanted a package of good fuel efficiency, comfort and convenience. The design was to make the Ciaz look like a premium sedan while its lightweight was the key for fuel efficiency. Market response to it indicates that Maruti has gone beyond its small car association.

Raman acknowledges that the new set of priorities going forward require a lot of effort and change in mindset. “We have many young people and are well positioned to give them very exciting work,” he says. The R&D centre at Rohtak is a top-class facility and product development will happen at a faster pace as Maruti goes global.

“I think it is a great opportunity for engineers over the next three years as more facilities emerge at Rohtak. The work we do here will also require building a pipeline of people,” says Raman. However, there is a long period for engineers to develop their capabilities. Each project takes four years and retaining them will be a challenge for Maruti.