Tata Motors – the country’s third largest selling carmaker showcased an array of exciting new products and concepts at this year’s Auto Expo. Among its other offerings, Tata showcased the Altroz premium hatchback and punch micro SUV under its ICNG guise.
This time though, Tata has innovated and done some smart packaging of the CNG kits with space management. Let’s take a closer look at the third and fourth products from Tata’s stable to get the factory equipped CNG kit.
Altroz and punch icng
Apart from the ICNG badging on the boot lid, the Altroz and Punch CNG don’t get any external or internal changes.
Talking about the powertrain, the cars come with the 1.2-L 3-cylinder engine that currently powers the Tiago and Tigor iCNG. This engine produces 86hp and 113Nm of torque in petrol mode and 77hp and 95Nm of torque in CNG mode. The Revotron engine with the CNG-kit will be mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox as seen in the Tiago/Tigor iCNG.
Tata is yet to confirm the launch details but we expect the cars to be launched in the coming months. Altroz and Punch ICNG will also be offered in several variants.
Tata’s twin-cylinder ICNG technology
Tata has improved the boot space in both the cars by splitting the usual 60 liter CNG tank into 2 tanks of 30 litres. This has created a decent amount of usable boot space for buyers which will greatly increase the appeal of the CNG variant.
Tata has removed the spare wheel and reworked the boot floor to accommodate the smaller tanks with their refilling mechanism. There is also a lightweight lid to cover the tanks which creates a smooth surface that enables users to place equipment.
In terms of safety, the Altroz & Punch iCNG comes with a micro switch that keeps the vehicle off while refueling. Other safety features like thermal event protection, fire protection device and leak detection feature are also on offer. Tata is also using advanced materials in the ICNG kit to prevent leakage.