If Maruti, Tata, Chevrolet and Fiat were rival carmakers in India, there was one factor that linked all of them together - the 1.3-litre, Multijet diesel engine.
Right from models like Swift, Punto, Indica Vista, nearly 24 cars gained popularity in the market on the back of this powertrain. Perhaps, Fiat's Multijet engine can claim the credit of being the only engine that has been used widely in India across several brands.
Known as Maruti’s DDIS, Fiat's Multijet, Tata's Quadrajet, Chevrolet's Smartech, and Premier' CRDi4, the production of the engine has been halted due to the hurdles posed by BS6 emission norms.
This brings the curtains down on an era of small diesel cars in India. The move by Maruti and Tata, which were the largest consumers of the engine, to develop their own engines and take their small diesel cars off the roads in the wake of the implementation of the stringent BS6 norms sounded the death knell for the engine.
During this period, Fiat alone produced around eight lakh units of the engine. This is apart from lakhs of other units Maruti and others built under licence from Fiat.
1.3-litre MultiJet
The Multijet ruled the roads for 13 long years. Five companies were dependent on them for two dozen of their models. And there are millions of cars on our roads that are powered by this engine. This is the reason it won the moniker the 'national engine' of India.
The engine was developed jointly by Fiat and General Motors. Apart from carmakers in India, others like Alfa Romeo, Opel, Peugeot, Citroën and several others use the engine. Fiat introduced the engine in 2003. It won the International Engine of the Year award in 2005.
The engine was available in five tunes - 70 bhp, 75 bhp, 90 bhp and 105 bhp. The factors that made it a favourite among Indians were its excellent performance, reliability, durability, fuel efficiency and low maintenance. Across the world, some 50 lakh MultiJet engine were sold until 2013 alone.
Swift entry
Though it was a Fiat engine, it was Maruti Suzuki that brought the Multijet to India. The Swift diesel launched in 2007 was powered by the MultiJet. Maruti set up an engine plant in Manesar dedicated for the powertrain. Later, other models like Dezire, Ertiga, S Cross and Ciaz were powered by this engine.
Tata-Fiat tie-up
Fiat started manufacturing the engine in India in a factory set up in Rajasthan through a joint venture with Tata. The factory had a capacity to build up to three lakh units of the Multijet. Fiat used the engine in its models like Punto, Linea, Vista and several other cars. After Maruti, Tata was the biggest user of the engine, in its models like Vista, Zest, Bolt and Manza.
Other cars that used the engine
Chevrolet Sail
Chevrolet Sail UVA
Chevrolet Enjoy
Chevrolet Aveo
Fiant Punto
Fiat Linea
Fiat Punto Evo
Fiat Aventuro
Premier Rio
Maruti Suzuki Ciaz
Maruti Suzuki Ertiga
Maruti Suzuki Ignis
Maruti Suzuki Swift
Maruti Suzuki Swift Dezire
Maruti Suzuki Ritz
Maruti Suzuki SX4
Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza
Maruti Suzuki Baleno
Maruti Suzuki S Cross
Tata Indica Vista
Tata Indica
Tata Indigo Manza
Tata Zest
Tata Bolt
Chevrolet Beat
Billed as the world's smallest diesel engine, the 1-litre diesel unit in Chevrolet Beat was developed from the Multijet. The three-cylinder unit was launched in 2011. The engine was used only in Chevrolet Beat.
In India, around 30 lakh cars could have used the Multijet. Though a Euro 6 (equivalent of India's BS6) Multijet is available in Europe, the decision by Maruti and Tata to ditch the powertrain proved to be the final nail in its coffin. However, if there is demand for small diesel cars in future, the 1.3-litre Multijet could make a comeback.