Before going the EV route, carmakers are trying their hand at other greener powertrains like CNG or Hybrids. In recent times, we’ve seen many new CNG car launches from Hyundai, Maruti, and Tata. Speaking of Tata, the Indian carmaker launched the Tiago and Tigor iCNG this year. Now, a test mule of the Altroz has been spotted with emission testing components. Rumors suggest that the mule could be a CNG version of the premium hatchback and a launch could take place soon.
Just like the Tiago and Tigor, we expect the Altroz CNG to carry the iCNG nameplate. According to Tata, the iCNG technology stands on four pillars; ‘Incredible Performance’, ‘Iconic Safety’, ‘Intelligent Technology’, and ‘Impressive Features’. Since the Altroz shares its petrol engine with these cars, we can expect similar numbers in the Altroz iCNG. The 1.2L Bi-Fuel, 3-Cylinder, Revotron engine puts out 73.4PS of power and 95Nm of torque. It is mated to a 5-Speed manual transmission.
Expect the 37L petrol fuel tank of Altroz to be accompanied by a 60L water filling capacity CNG cylinder. The added CNG will add on to the weight as well and Tata is expected to retune the suspension as well to deal with the extra weight. Tata’s iCNG also comes with Thermal Incident Protection. In case of a thermal incident, the CNG fuel is automatically cut off and the remaining gas from tubes is released directly into the atmosphere. Moreover, in case of a CNG leakage, the car automatically switches from CNG to Petrol mode. Another safety feature is the Micro Switch near the fuel lid. It shuts off the car in case the lid is open and does not allow the car to start till the lid is closed. It also comes with a single advanced ECU which helps it in auto switchover between fuels and direct start in CNG mode.
It also gets a new NGV 1 receptacle nozzle for CNG which helps in faster refueling. Other than this, the design and features on offer will be similar to the standard Altroz. Some of the features on offer are a semi-digital instrument cluster, a touchscreen infotainment system with smartphone compatibility, cruise control, and automatic climate control.