2018 Maruti Suzuki Ciaz likely to get petrol-hybrid engine, launch by August

• 2018 Maruti Suzuki Ciaz will get new 1.5-litre petrol engine, debuted with 2018 Ertiga
• Maruti Suzuki SHVS mild hybrid system will help to improve fuel efficiency
• New Ciaz likely to be the only vehicle in India with both petrol and diesel hybrid engines

Maruti Suzuki, India's largest carmaker, is planning to give a mid-life facelift to the Ciaz sedan sold via Nexa premium dealership chain this year. The launch of 2018 Ciaz is expected by August 2018 and previous reports claim the Honda City rival will get a new petrol engine.

The engine in question is the 1.5-litre unit that develops 103bhp of power and 138Nm of torque. The power plant made debut with the 2018 Ertiga which Suzuki revealed at the Indonesia International Motor Show in April 2018. It will replace the current 1.4-litre petrol engine in the Ciaz. A report in Cardekho now claims the new petrol engine will also be coupled with Maruti Suzuki SHVS mild hybrid system.

The SHVS hybrid system makes use of a lithium-ion battery that gets charged with the help of regenerative braking. The system converts the kinetic energy of rolling wheels into electricity for charging the battery. Combined with the idle stop/start system, the new Ciaz will return increased fuel efficiency.

Maruti Suzuki is expected to carry over the current diesel mill in the new Ciaz as well. The 1,248cc diesel unit is already equipped with the mild-hybrid system and it produces 89bhp at 4,000rpm and 200Nm of torque at 1,750rpm. In that case, 2018 Maruti Suzuki Ciaz will be the only car in India with hybrid petrol and diesel engines in India. Maruti Suzuki has officially not commented about the availability of SHVS mild-hybrid system with new Ciaz Petrol.

How will 2018 Maruti Suzuki Ciaz facelift look like?

Though the facelifted Ciaz has been caught testing in India multiple times, the mules were heavily camouflaged. Hence, it is not clear how India-spec new Ciaz will look like. However, Suzuki sells the Ciaz as Alivio in China and it recently got a makeover there. The changes in Alivio sheds some light on how the new Ciaz will look like.

2018 Ciaz may get a new single-piece front grille that will remind the grille design of Audi cars. New round shaped fog lamp in a black housing will come with the integrated strip running lamps at lower lip. The front bumper will be reworked to house these changes. Alloy wheels could be the sole change on the side while rear bumper may get dual-tone finish with chrome touches. Re-arrangements inside tail lamps are also expected. Interior may not see major change at all.