Currently, if you are planning to buy a premium hatchback in India with a CNG powertrain, your choices are only limited to the Maruti Suzuki Baleno, Toyota Glanza, and the Tata Altroz. Except for the top-spec XZ+ O (S) variant of the Altroz, all variants of the other models can be had under Rs. 10 lakh (ex-showroom). Let us have a detailed look at each of these hatchbacks in this article.
Maruti Suzuki Baleno
Back in October 2022, Maruti Suzuki launched the Baleno CNG in the country alongside the XL6 CNG. The hatchback in the CNG guise is offered in two variants, namely Delta and Zeta, priced at Rs. 8,34,690 and Rs. 9,27,690, respectively (both prices, ex-showroom).
On the feature front, it gets a seven-inch touchscreen infotainment screen with wireless mobile connectivity, analogue instrument cluster with a colour TFT display, LED projector headlamps, rearview camera with parking sensors, and USB Type A and Type C ports.
Under the hood, the Baleno CNG gets a 1.2-litre petrol engine that is tuned to produce 89bhp and 113Nm of torque in the petrol guise. When driven in the CNG mode, the same engine generates 76bhp and 98.5Nm of torque and returns a fuel efficiency of 30.61km/kg.
Toyota Glanza
A month after the official launch of the Baleno CNG, Toyota Kirloskar Motor launched the CNG variant of its only hatchback, the Glanza E-CNG. Available in two variants – S and G, the CNG-powered hatchback looks identical to and shares its underpinning with the Baleno CNG. The Glanza gets a CNG tank capacity of 55 litres with a claimed fuel efficiency of 30.61km/kg in CNG guise.
Tata Altroz
The third car on the list is the recently launched hatchback from Tata Motors, the Altroz CNG. With this, the brand introduced its twin-cylinder technology where the CNG tanks are placed under the boot, liberating 210 litres of boot space. The Altroz CNG can be had in six variants, namely XE, XM+, XM+ (S), XZ, XZ+ (S), and XZ+ O (S). Apart from the top-spec XZ+ O (S), all other variants are priced under Rs. 10 lakh (ex-showroom).
Powering the Altroz iCNG is Tata’s 1.2-litre, three-cylinder engine that puts out 72bhp and 103Nm of torque in CNG mode and 88hp and 115Nm in petrol mode. This mill returns an ARAI-certified claimed mileage of 26.2km/kg and has a CNG tank capacity of 60 litres.
| Specifications | Baleno/Glanza | Altroz |
| Engine | 1.2-litre petrol-CNG | 1.2-litre petrol-CNG |
| Power output | 76bhp/98.5Nm | 72bhp/103Nm |
| Transmission | 5-speed MT | 5-speed MT |
| CNG tank capacity | 37 litre | 37 litre |
| Fuel efficiency | 30.61km/kg | 26.2km/kg |
