Fiat India Ltd, the subsidiary of the Italian car-maker Fiat Spa, is considering introduction of the contemporary 1.2 litre common rail direct injection diesel engine instead of the 1.9 litre turbo diesel on its range of cars from the end of the year or early 2003.
This is a clear shift of strategy of the company, which is witnessing a turnaround in its fortunes after the launch of its hatch-back Palio in September 2002.
This will also be the first time any compact small car in India targeted at the volumes market will come fitted with the contemporary diesel technology.
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The technology is also found in Mercedes Benzs, Volkswagens and top-end Fiats. Fiat, which developed the technology along with Bosch, has shared it with other global car manufacturers.
A senior executive of the company said that the 1.2 litre common rail deisel generates a power between 85-87 BHP, which is higher than the 82 BHP produced by the 1.9 litre turbo diesel and the 75 BHP generated by the 1.2 litre petrol engine which comes in the Palio. The Palio also has a 1.6 litre petrol engine.