Team-BHP Scoop: Tata Indigo CS CNG in showrooms this November

Tata Motors launched a refreshed Indigo eCS earlier this year, at the HORIZONEXT strategy unveil event held at the Indian car and utility vehicle maker's factory in Pimpri, off Pune. While petrol and diesel powered variants of the Indigo eCS were launched at the event, Tata Motors did announce plans of outfitting the car with a CNG kit. Dubbed the eMAX series, the Nano, Indica and Indigo eCS were the three cars that were to be outfitted with CNG kits. While the Nano CNG has already been launched, Tata Motors is all set to launch the Indigo eCS CNG in the coming weeks.

Team-BHP's sources reveal that the Indigo eCS CNG variant will be in Tata showrooms by the middle of November, to capitalize on the festive season demand. Also, bookings for the CNG powered Indigo eCS are likely to be opened in the next few days. The Indigo eCS CNG will be positioned under the car's diesel engined variant, as a car that costs significantly lesser to run than both petrol and diesel engined models. Cab fleets and sedan buyers looking for a cost effective city commuter are the target segments of the Indigo eCS CNG variant. 

The 1.2 liter petrol engine, also known as the XETA unit, has been suitably modified to run on CNG. The CNG tank with a 10 Kg capacity will be positioned in the boot of the car and this means that quite a bit of boot space will be compromised. The engine, which produces 65 PS-100 Nm in petrol guise, will output 56 PS-90 Nm while operating on CNG. Tata Motors claims a mileage figure of 24 Km/Kg of CNG. The 42 liter petrol tank will be retained as it is, making the Indigo eCS CNG a dual fuel car. Switching between CNG and petrol modes will involve a dashboard mounted switch. 

The Indica eV2's CNG variant is also likely to be launched soon as the car shares its engine and transmission with the Indigo eCS CNG. The CNG tank capacity of the Indica CNG will be same as that of the Indigo eCS CNG model. On CNG mode, both cars are projected to deliver a range of 230 Kms before needing a CNG refuel/shifting to petrol mode. Sales of the CNG powered Indica and Indigo eCS variants will be limited to those locations of India where CNG refueling stations are widely distributed. The Nano CNG is available in Delhi, Mumbai, Lucknow, and parts of Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. A similar approach will be adopted for CNG variants of both the Indica and Indigo.