Some of Tata’s popular cars like Tiago, Altroz and Tigor could get CNG option
In the Indian market, factory fitted CNG cars are currently offered by Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai. CNG options are available for Alto, S-Presso, Celerio, WagorR, Maruti Ertiga, Santro, Aura and Grand i10 Nios. Tata will be the third company that will be offering factory fitted CNG option for some of its cars. These are expected to be made available by later this year.
Boost sales
Tata Motors has registered impressive gains in recent months and launch of CNG variants could help boost sales further. In March 2021, Tata sold a total of 29,654 units, which is YoY growth of 422.45%. Tata Motors is now the third largest carmaker in the country with a market share of 9.25%. MoM sales in March 2021 have also increased by 8.92%.
For folks who prefer CNG, the primary benefit is reduced fuel cost. CNG is not only cheaper, but also gives higher mileage. It’s true that CNG cars are priced higher than their petrol powered counterparts. However, that additional cost can be covered with fuel cost savings. Another factor is that CNG prices are relatively stable, as compared to petrol prices.
As CNG reduces engine output, it is usually preferred for entry level cars. In that context, Tata cars such as Tiago, Altroz and Tigor could get the CNG option. The CNG kit will be factory fitted, something similar to Maruti Suzuki CNG cars.
Tiago, Tigor, Altroz CNG variant powertrain
All three cars share the same 1.2 litre Revotron, 3-cylinder petrol motor that is capable of generating 86 ps of max power at 6,000 rpm and 113 Nm of peak torque at 3,300 rpm. For CNG variant, transmission option is expected to be a 5-speed manual unit. Fuel efficiency of CNG versions of these cars could be around 30 km / kg.
Talking about pricing, Tiago petrol manual variants are priced in the range of Rs 4.85 lakh to Rs 6.32 lakh. Automatic variants start at Rs 5.99 lakh whereas the top-spec model is available at Rs 6.84 lakh. Altroz variants with the same engine are priced in the range of Rs 5.69 lakh to Rs 8.25 lakh. It is to note that Altroz is offered only with manual transmission.
Tata Tigor petrol manual variants are priced in the range of Rs 5.49 lakh to Rs 7.11 lakh. Automatic variants XMA and XZA+ are priced at Rs 6.61 lakh and Rs 7.63 lakh, respectively. All prices are ex-showroom, New Delhi.
CNG variants of all three cars are expected to cost around Rs 30k-50k more than their respective petrol variants. It will be interesting to see if Tata CNG cars could achieve results similar to that of CNG cars by Maruti and Hyundai.
