Focus on new tech to cut emission, enhance mileage: Maruti

New Delhi: The country's largest car maker Maruti Suzuki India(MSI) is focusing on new technologies to cut emission per vehicle while enhancing fuel efficiency for its future models.

The company said it has been able to bring down weighted average of CO2 emission for its entire fleet by nearly 19 per cent over a decade since 2007-08. "Going forward, we will continue our focus on investing in new technologies and strengthen our capability to bring down emissions per vehicle by enhancing fuel efficiency of our cars," Maruti Suzuki India Executive Director (Engineering) C V Raman said in a statement.

Besides upgrading current engines and transmissions, and making models more aerodynamic to enhance fuel efficiency, MSI has also focused on new generation light weight platforms, such as the Heartect on which Baleno and new Dzire models are based, for "safer and more fuel efficient vehicles". "We work on platform strategy and keep on rationalizing them to offer better value to the customers by better fuel efficiency and better performance, which leads to reduction in emissions," Raman added.

On its effort to cut emissions, the company said it has reduced the weighted average of CO2 emission by around 19 per cent for its entire fleet. MSI said it had started the exercise to reduce CO2 emission from 2005-06 by taking 100 as base for its entire fleet. It came down to 80 in 2016-17 as compared to 98.5 in 2007-08.

Introduction of mild hybrid system in mass market vehicles along with factory fitted CNG in vehicles have helped the company offer more eco-friendly vehicles, it added. The company also claimed that "three of the most fuel efficient cars in India" are all from its stable. These are the diesel variants of hatchback Celerio (27.62 kmpl), compact sedan Dzire (28.4 kmpl) and mid-sized sedan Ciaz (28.09 kmpl