The Auto Expo 2023 was flooded with many unveils and a few car launches. While the focus was on ICE, EV, and Hydrogen-powered concepts. Two Indian manufacturers, Maruti Suzuki and Tata Motors also displayed CNG-powered vehicles at the event last week.
At Maruti’s stall, the long speculated CNG-powered Brezza was showcased in matte blue exterior paint. The CNG variant doesn’t get any design revision as compared to petrol-only variants apart from a CNG sticker on the front and rear windshield. The same is the case with the interior of the SUV.
Mechanically, it will get the 1.5-litre K15 petrol engine producing 102bhp and 137Nm of torque in petrol mode and 87bhp and 121Nm of torque in CNG mode. The engine will come paired with a five-speed manual transmission unit. Moreover, the CNG-powered Brezza is expected to return an approximate fuel efficiency of 26km/kg.
The brand is yet to make any announcement on the launch timeline of Brezza CNG, but we expect it to arrive in the Indian market very soon.
Tata Punch i-CNG and Tata Altroz i-CNG
Another Indian brand which actively participated at the Auto Expo 2023 was Tata Motors. The automaker showcased two CNG-powered vehicles at the event, Punch i-CNG and Altroz i-CNG. Both the vehicles get the country’s first twin-cylinder technology where there are two cylinder tanks of CNG of 30 litres each. This helps in better space management in the cargo area of the vehicle.
With the introduction of the CNG fuel option, Tata has also equipped both models with sunroof. This makes these models the only CNG vehicles in the Indian market at present to feature a sunroof.
Powering the vehicles is a 1.2-litre petrol engine that is mated to a five-speed manual unit while producing 85bhp and 113Nm of torque in petrol mode. However, the same engine is found in Tiago and Tigor which churns out 72bhp and 95Nm of torque in CNG mode, so we expect similar power figures with a fuel efficiency of around 26km/kg for both Punch i-CNG and Altroz i-CNG. Meanwhile, reports suggest the brand will introduce the CNG duo sometime in mid-2023.
