Bookings for Tata Tiago CNG and Tigor CNG have already commenced, and other Tata cars are expected to get CNG powertrain options as well
Tata Motors has officially confirmed that it would be introducing its CNG-powered car range in the Indian market on 19th January 2022. The homegrown carmaker will likely introduce the Tiago CNG and Tigor CNG first, as dealerships across the country have already begun accepting bookings for these. They are expected to be followed by Altroz CNG and Punch CNG soon.
Both the Tiago CNG and Tigor CNG will have the same 1.2-litre, naturally aspirated, inline-3 petrol engine under the hood as their standard (petrol-powered) versions, with a factory-fitted CNG kit tacked on. This powerplant will belt out 86 PS and 113 Nm when running on petrol, but when running on natural gas, the power and torque output would be lower.
The CNG cars will be available with just a manual transmission option. Tata Tiago CNG has already started arriving at dealerships across the country, and spy pictures of the car show that there won’t be any changes to the exterior design, save for the ‘i-CNG’ badge on the tailgate. Also, the CNG tank will be placed in the boot, which would leave practically no space for luggage.
On the Tigor, the CNG tank will leave some useable space in the boot, although we’d have to take a look to confirm that. Also, the CNG option will be available only on select trim levels of the hatchback and the sedan. We expect no changes to the interiors and equipment lists of these CNG cars compared to their equivalent petrol variants.
Tata Tiago is currently priced from Rs. 4.99 lakh to Rs. 7.07 lakh, while the price of Tigor ranges from Rs. 5.67 lakh to Rs. 7.84 lakh (ex-showroom prices, New Delhi) in the Indian market. The price of the CNG variants will be around Rs. 50,000 to Rs. 70,000 higher than the equivalent petrol variants.
Upon launch, Tata Tiago CNG will rival the likes of Maruti S-Presso CNG, Maruti Wagon-R CNG, Hyundai Grand i10 Nios CNG, and Hyundai Santro CNG. As for Tata Tigor CNG, its competitor will be the upcoming Maruti Dzire CNG.