Fiat's highly acclaimed 1.3-litre Multijet engine seems to a common factor in the highly competitive automotive industry of India. It is used in hatchbacks like Maruti Suzuki Swift and Ritz, Fiat Punto and Tata Indica Vista as well as sedans like Maruti Suzuki Swift DZire and SX4, Tata Indigo Manza and Fiat Linea. Maruti Suzuki Ertiga and Premier RiO are the Utility Vehicles (UV) that run on this powertrain, while the upcoming XA Alpha may also use the same. Upcoming cars from the stables of General Motors like Enjoy and Sail will also run on this unit.
The outcome of partnership between Fiat and General Motors, the engine is definitely world's most efficient one, although Hyundai, Ford and Toyota may object. It won the International Engine of the Year award in 2005, ahead of 60 other powertrains including Peugeot-Citroen and Ford’s 1.4-litre diesel engine, Toyota’s 1.4-litre engine and VW’s 1.4-litre FSI engine and Diahatsu’s small 1.3-litre engine.
Since 2005, it has come a long way to become the most preferred powertrain in the auto industry, favoured by both car makers and customers alike. In this period, nearly 4.5 million units of this powertrain have been installed in all types of cars across various brands and continents. All manufacturers can benefit by sourcing Fiat's 1.3-litre Multijet powertrain and providing their vehicles with a tried and tested motor. Since some Japanese companies like Suzuki and Honda are not familiar with the dynamics of diesel unit, it is easier for them to use a proven engine.
However, not all companies have been able to make the best use of the acclaimed motor. It may be assumed that Fiat, being the main developer of the powertrain, would have made the best use of the same in its cars. On the contrary, Fiat's Punto and Linea have been huge failures in the Indian market. Indica Vista and Indigo Manza, the top selling models in their respective segments for Tata Motors, have not utilised the engine to the best of its capability either.
Notably, it is the largest selling car manufacturer of the country, Maruti Suzuki, which has used this engine the best. The Swift and Swift DZire models by the company are powered by Fiat's powertrain and are faring better than the Punto and Linea. This has been reflected well in the sales of Maruti Suzuki, which is relying on the sales performance of these cars to regain lost market share.
The latest spur in the sales of Swift was due to the demand for its diesel variant, as it overtook Alto to become the highest grossing car of the country in the month of April 2012. Suzuki is clearly not well versed with the diesel engine technology and without the 1.3-litre Multijet powertrain of Fiat, Maruti Suzuki would have found itself in a tight spot. However, now Swift and Swift DZire are selling in huge numbers and the Ertiga is all set to replicate them.
Though the engine has been engineered in collaboration with GM, it has not used it in any of the American auto major's cars. It will be used in at least three Chevrolet cars this year, namely Enjoy, Sail hatchback and Sail sedan, thus breaking the trend. However, it remains to be seen whether the car maker will be able to make full use of the capabilities of this efficient engine or not. Similar is the case with Premier, which recently signed a deal with Fiat to source the same engine for its RiO to reach BSIV compliant markets.
