Tata Nexon iCNG concept made its world premiere at the 2024 Bharat Mobility Expo last month; launch likely in the coming months
Since its market launch in 2017, the Nexon has been a tremendous success for Tata Motors, with over six lakh units sold to date. Available in both Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) and Electric Vehicle (EV) variants, it stands out as one of the segment’s luring prospects while boasting a Global NCAP safety rating of five stars.
As part of its efforts to broaden its powertrain options, the homegrown brand introduced the Nexon iCNG concept at the Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2024 in New Delhi. The production version is expected to go on sale in the coming months in India and it will become India’s first turbo petrol car equipped with the CNG technology.
Leveraging the momentum created by the facelifted Nexon, Tata has integrated the twin-cylinder technology that debuted in the Altroz and Punch. Tata launched the iCNG technology with the Tiago and Tigor a couple of years ago. However, the arrival of the country’s first twin-cylinder iCNG technology, without compromising on boot space, has been a significant development as it enhances the overall practicality.
The upcoming Tata Nexon iCNG will look to bank on this technology with a usable boot of 230 litres in volumes courtesy of the dual cylinders aligned next to each other having 60 litres (water equivalent) capacity. The cylinders are neatly tucked in and invisible while the tool kits are positioned in the storage space and there is an underbody spare wheel as well.
Tata asserts that the Nexon iCNG will provide superior driveability and seamless performance across various terrains including high altitudes, thanks to enhanced low-end torque and refined calibration. The factory-fitted CNG system includes features like a micro switch, six-point cylinder mounting scheme, single ECU, and high-quality materials in the kit to prevent leaks along with thermal incident protection and leak detection capabilities.
The familiar 1.2L three-cylinder turbo petrol engine producing 120 PS and 170 Nm in its regular guise will be utilised but the performance outputs will be lower. It will be paired with a five-speed manual transmission while an AMT could also be on offer. Tata is expected to sell the Nexon CNG in multiple variants to appeal to a wide customer base.