Tata Motors is working on CNG versions of the Tiago hatchback and Tigor compact sedan. Both the vehicles have been spotted while they were on test on the Indian roads. According to dealership sources of Autocar India, both the vehicles will be launching next month in the Indian market. Some dealerships have also started taking unofficial bookings of the Tigor CNG and Tiago CNG.
The homegrown manufacturer might open the formal bookings in the coming weeks but still there is no official announcement from Tata Motors regarding the CNG variants of Tiago and Tigor. There will be no cosmetic changes to both the vehicles except few CNG badges that could be in the front and at the rear.
Many people are now opting for CNG equipped vehicles because of the high prices of petrol and diesel. Where an electric vehicle would cost even more and the charging infrastructure is still lacking, a CNG vehicle still makes quite a bit of sense. There are significantly more CNG stations across the nation and even if you run out of CNG, you can drive the vehicle on petrol which is readily available.
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Specs
Mechanically, both the vehicles will stay the same. So, they will be offered with a 1.2-litre, three-cylinder, naturally aspirated petrol engine that produces 86 PS of max power and 114 Nm of peak torque. But while running on CNG, the power and torque outputs will decrease. The petrol engine is offered with a 5-speed manual gearbox as well as a 5-speed AMT gearbox. However, the CNG variants will be offered only with a 5-speed manual gearbox.
Will be offered in two variants
According to the rumours, Tata Motors will offer the CNG version in two variant. The Tiago CNG will be offered in XE and XT variant while the Tigor could be offered in XE and XM variant. Tata offers Tiago in five variants. There is XE, XT(O), XT, XZ, and XZ+. The Tigor, on the other hand, is available in six variants. There is XE, XM, XZ, XZ+, XMA, and XZA+.
Tigor more practical than Tiago
The boot space of the Tigor is significantly more than the Tiago because it is a sedan. The Tiago’s boot space measures 242 litres whereas the boot space of Tigor is 419 litres. The boot space of Tiago’s boot will be taken by the CNG cylinder whereas there would still be space in the boot of Tigor even after putting a CNG cylinder. So, Tigor CNG will be more practical than the Tigor CNG.
Rivals
The Tiago CNG will be going against the upcoming Maruti Suzuki Celerio CNG, WagonR CNG, Hyundai Grand i10 Nios CNG and the upcoming Maruti Suzuki Swift CNG.
The Tigor CNG will be competing against the Hyundai Aura CNG and the upcoming Maruti Suzuki Dzire CNG which is currently being tested.
Prices
As of now, the Tiago starts at Rs. 4.99 lakhs ex-showroom and goes up to Rs. 7.07 lakhs ex-showroom. The Tigor starts at Rs. 5.67 lakhs ex-showroom and goes up to Rs. 7.84 lakhs ex-showroom. We expect the CNG version to be priced around Rs. 60,000 more than the regular variants.
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