Unofficial bookings for factory-fitted CNG models of Tiago and Tigor have commenced at select dealerships since October this year
After a long wait, Tata Motors will step into the CNG segment in the passenger vehicle market of India. The homegrown carmaker will introduce factory-fitted CNG kits on its entry-level models – Tiago, Punch and Tigor. Test mules of these models with CNG kits have been spotted testing on roads on numerous occasions.
With the soaring prices of petrol / diesel, car manufacturers have been forced to look at alternative fuel sources and CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) being one of them. Tata Motors will launch CNG iterations of the micro hatch Tiago and subcompact sedan Tigor in India in the next month. Punch CNG launch will take place after that.
Tata Motors in CNG space
The CNG segment in India is currently dominated by Maruti Suzuki while Hyundai is the only other notable player. After launching Tiago CNG and Tigor CNG, Tata Motors is further looking to expand its footprint in the CNG space with CNG-fitted models like Altroz and Nexon. The ongoing pandemic of Covid-19 and the global shortage in semiconductor chips have further delayed launch of both these models.
Take a look at the spy video shared by automotive enthusiast Jagadish, which shows camouflaged test mules of Punch, Tiago and Tigor being tested in the hilly region of Nilgiri Mountains, Tamil Nadu.
CNG-equipped variants of both Tiago and Tigor are available for bookings at dealerships level. In fact, unofficial bookings for both CNG cars have reportedly commenced since October this year. We expect Tata Motors to formally open bookings for Tiago CNG and Tigor CNG in the coming weeks, ahead of their launch in January. Punch CNG bookings will open later.
Same engine, different fuel
Tiago and Tigor are powered by the same 1.2-litre naturally aspirated petrol unit that pushes out 85 bhp and 113 Nm of peak torque in their regular models. In CNG guise, the same engine is expected to produce around 70 horses of power and 90 Nm of peak torque. Transmission duties will be carried out by a 5-speed manual gearbox. While output figures will drop, it will benefit with a much better fuel efficiency around 30 km/kg.
Apart from the updated powertrain, no other noteworthy updates are expected to be made on both cars. Even visually, both CNG models will be almost identical to their petrol-powered counterparts except for a CNG logo slammed somewhere at the rear. In addition, Tata Motors will also offer the option to get the CNG kits fitted at dealerships.
Rivals
Upon launch, Tiago CNG will compete against CNG-powered variants of Hyundai Santro, Maruti WagonR and the upcoming CNG version of Swift and new-gen Celerio. On the other hand, Tigor CNG will lock its horns with Hyundai Aura CNG and the upcoming Dzire CNG. Tata Motors will be hoping that sales volume would increase further with the inclusion of CNG variants.
