Tata Motors is working on a sub 2.0-litre Varicor engine

The Delhi ban on sale of vehicles having diesel engines measuring more than 2000cc of displacement has prompted auto manufacturers to rework their engines. The news of Tata Motors working on a sub 2.0-litre diesel engine comes close on the heels of Mahindra’s announcement of its 1999cc diesel engine.

With the pollution levels in cities like Mumbai also going north, manufacturers are expecting such bans to continue to be prevalent. The 2.2-litre Varicor engine that powers the Safari Storme, the Safari and the Aria will also power the upcoming Hexa SUV. The 2179cc turbocharged diesel engine was developed in alliance with AVL, the company that also helped Mahindra develop their 2.2-litre mHawk engines.

The engine can be sleeved to reduce the bore diameter to get the displacement of the engine below 2000cc without altering the basic architecture of the engine. Easier said than done, the changes will still require a lot of research and testing to achieve the required levels of NVH and emissions. Also, the reduction in cubic capacity will mean less power and hence the engine will have to be retuned to offer similar level of performance.

There are no official timelines as to when the new engines will be offered to buyers, but we expect that to happen quite soon.