Renowned Indian automotive manufacturer Tata Motors has announced the opening of bookings for its upcoming 2022 Tiago CNG hatchback. Currently, in India, Hyundai and Maruti Suzuki are the only OEMs that offer CNG-powered vehicles in the segment. To compete with the established competition, Tata Motors will introduce 2 CNG-powered vehicles, the Tiago and the Tigor.
The automaker has unofficially opened bookings wherein customers will pay a token amount ranging from INR 5,000-20,000. Apart from these two models, Tata Motors has reportedly been spotted testing the CNG-powered Punch in Tamil Nadu. Along with working on a new automatic variant of the Altroz, Tata Motors is also working on new turbo-petrol engines.
Tata Motors will likely not add any exterior, mechanical or interior changes for the new CNG-powered Tiago hatchback. The new 2022 Tiago will feature a factory-fitted CNG Kit which will likely sport a lower power and torque output. Since the petrol-powered Tiago gets a manual and an AMT gearbox, the CNG-powered Tiago will only feature a manual transmission.
To differentiate the CNG-powered Tiago from its petrol-powered counterpart, Tata Motors will offer exclusive CNG badging on the hatchback’s exterior. Reports and sources suggest that the CNG-powered Tiago will cost INR 30,000-50,000 more than the petrol-powered counterpart. Powering the standard Tiago is a 1.2-litre, three-cylinder petrol motor which produces 83 PS and 113 Nm.
Once launched in the market, the Tata Tiago CNG will compete with the aforementioned Hyundai and Maruti Suzuki vehicles. With 82% of the acquired market share between April-November 2021, Maruti Suzuki currently offers 8 CNG models in India. Meanwhile, Hyundai offers the CNG variants of the Santro, Grand i10 Nios, Aura, and Xcent Prime for the Indian market. Currently, Tata Motors offers the Tiago as a hatchback and an off-road styled variant called the Tiago NRG.
The upcoming Tiago CNG will directly compete with the Maruti Suzuki WagonR and the Hyundai Grand i10 Nios hatchbacks. As the demand for EVs in India rises, customers are also migrating towards CNG options to reduce costs and emissions. In India, diesel and petrol cost INR 109.98 per litre and INR 94.14 per litre, respectively. Meanwhile, CNG costs INR 63.5 per Kg, which leads to customers achieving considerable savings and enhanced mileage figures.
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