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S.Muralidhar

THE engine of the Accent CRDi. The CRDi diesel engine is meant to combine the performance and handling of a petrol engine with the fuel efficiency of a diesel.

The picky Indian car buyer loathes buying a petrol engine vehicle from a traditionally diesel engine manufacturer. Ditto (or so it seemed till now) for the converse.

Can't blame him. Track record worldwide matters when it comes to customer confidence as regards trouble-free engine performance. So, while Mercedes Benz and Peugeot are known for their diesel engines, many Japanese car-makers like Suzuki and Honda are popular as manufacturers of petrol engine vehicles.

Back home, sales trends clearly indicate that car buyers trust Tata Engineering with its diesel engine for the Indica and, conversely, would much rather opt for a petrol powertrain from Maruti Udyog. Pedigree counts.

Hyundai Motor Company (HMC), the South Korean automobile leader, has also suffered due to the lack of in-house expertise in manufacturing diesel burners.

However, that changed during the last couple of years with the signing of a joint development agreement with Detroit Diesel of the US, part of the DaimlerChrysler Group. Benefiting from this alliance, Hyundai has developed diesel engines to power some of its current bestsellers like the Santa Fe Sports Utility Vehicle.

Hyundai Motor India's (HMI) latest diesel variant of its mid-size sedan Accent, is also a product of this collaborative effort. With the launch of the new generation diesel variant, the Accent CRDi, HMI has clearly gone back to its days of taking on a technology leadership position. The new Accent diesel has been suffixed with a straight forward `abbreviation badge' — CRDi, which stands for `Common Rail Direct Injection'. That, again, is an obvious reference to the new diesel injection technology now the rage in the US, Europe and other advanced automobile markets. The CRDi technology is a leap, not a step, from the diesel engine technologies in use in India.

The CRDi diesel engine on the Accent is meant to combine the performance and handling of a petrol engine with the fuel efficiency of a diesel.

According to Hyundai, the Automotive Research Association of India's (ARAI) tests on the new diesel engine turned in a whopping 28 kilometres per litre under standard test conditions.

On other parameters like NVH efficiency (noise, vibration and harshness) and emission levels too, the Accent CRDi's parentage shows. Thanks to the CRDi technology and the NVH packaging by Hyundai engineers, the new Accent is far quieter and more comfortable than its predecessor.

This new engine also dramatically improves drive quality and reduces particle pollutants — all of which are distinct advantages over conventional diesel engines. Conventional diesel engines tend to transfer a lot of vibration to the body of the car.

Such engines also do not achieve complete combustion of diesel due to the inability to generate high fuel pressure in the combustion chamber.

Working on a patented `direct injection' technology, the CRDi engine, simply put, has `rails' that inject pressurised fuel directly into the engine, thereby improving engine efficiency and reducing noise and vibration. The CRDi technology also electronically controls engine pressure, fuel quantity and injection timing to deliver better fuel efficiency. At the other end, it also lowers nitrogen oxide (Nox) and particulate emissions, making it one of the most environmental friendly diesels in its class.

With the launch of the Accent CRDi, the previous diesel Accent — with its imported Peugeot TUD5 engine — will be phased out. The new Accent diesel comes with a price tag of Rs 7,23,261, ex-showroom Chennai and Rs 7,24,065, ex-showroom Delhi, and has been launched nationwide. Given the penchant for diesels in the South, HMI's focus will be the four southern States.

However, the company is hoping that the technological superiority and refinement of the CRDi will also attract potential petrol car buyers in the other States.

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