[wheelguy]

The world’s largest carmaker Volkswagen is considering CNG as an alternative fuel for the near future before mobility technology eventually transitions to electric.

If there is a stable policy framework from the government in terms of identifying CNG as one of the solutions to the rising pollution crisis, the German carmaker, which already has a considerable presence in Europe in terms of CNG vehicles, will consider bringing these to India, Steffen Knapp, director of Volkswagen Passenger Cars, told ET.

“We are the biggest player globally in CNG. Depending on the infrastructure, we can do this very fast (in India),” he said.

If the government pitches for adoption of CNG in terms of setting up fuel stations across the country, increase the import of the fuel to the country, and buy more CNG vehicles for its fleets, it will make a business case for Volkswagen to invest in the technology in India, Knapp explained.

Being successful in any segment in India requires high level of localisation and being a small player in terms of volumes, the company cannot invest in every technology unless there’s a clear trend backed by policy, he said.

In the mid-term, Volkswagen will focus on petrol-powered SUVs for the Indian market, the executive said. “Our future lies in petrol,” he said.

At present, over 60% of the company’s sales in the country are of petrol-powered vehicles. The future of diesel-powered vehicles in India for the company is uncertain and Knapp was non-committal on whether it will upgrade its diesel engines for the BS-VI emission norms.

The customer, too, has been confused lately due to the lack of a stable policy stance, he said.

Source: ET Auto

[GTO]

They're making it sound like there is a line of customers waiting / salivating for CNG cars. Doesn't VW know that CNG cars are yesterday's news? And if VW does launch CNG cars here, which one will they do it in? The 200th facelift of the 10-year old VW Polo?

Why don't these dimwits bring some fresh VW cars to India instead? Why don't they bring "proper hybrids" which are a more realistic alternative to EVs in India today?

[sumeethaldankar]

Yes CNG though still in demand will eventually be a thing of the past. A proper Hybrid can challenge the running cost and the associated pain (long queues, robbing of boot space, limited range restricted to city usage etc) of the CNG and deliver near running costs of the CNG. VW being a large company should easily have access to a lot of Hybrid tech and they should bring it to India if they really want to stay here, else they may have to go the GM way.

[deehunk]

This is not an external installer fitted CNG kits inside OEM premises, the engines are itself designed for operating on CNG fuel with the exact compression ratio. Check on this link for more information about VW TGI engines. India has always lagged behind in usage of LPG and CNG vehicles. My Accent has now clocked 1.2 lakh kms and still running strong with the sequential LPG kit.

[deehunk]

A small video about VW TGI (CNG) engines,

https://youtu.be/TVRIBniZAg4