Heartening Comeback
Every year, the time seems to fly quicker and quicker, and here I am already writing the last editorial in 2025.
After the recent festive season, I thought that the activity in the automobile industry would slow down, but it was just the opposite. There have been a number of launches and first drives in the last two months. The new Tata Sierra was launched, then we witnessed the new Kia Seltos launch, and then the new Maruti e Vitara was launched as well with its first drive set to happen soon thereafter, and, finally, I will be driving the new Renault Duster that is going to be launched on the forthcoming Republic Day (26 January 2026).
The resurrection has begun with Audi putting a V6 diesel engine with a 48-volt “MHEV plus” mild hybrid system in the Q5 and A6 to start with, and the best part is that it is Euro 7-compliant. It will not be long before more and more manufacturers bring diesel engines back into their portfolios. As a fuel, diesel is more efficient compared to petrol, and the minute the government starts blending diesel with Isobutenol, they will start pushing diesel fuel. The CO2 level of diesel engines is far lower than that of petrol engines, and if we are talking about pollution, European countries are the biggest markets for diesel-powered cars, and yet their cities are far cleaner than any of our cities. It is sad that the people devising the fuel policy for the country are clueless and are not qualified to make such policies.
First, they pushed EVs, now it is ethanol, then it will be Isobutenol. It is all right to have petrol with ethanol, but the buyer deserves to be given the choice to buy non-blended petrol.
EDITOR – ASPI BHATHENA
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