Tata Motors has now rolled out the Nexon CNG in India, which was earlier unveiled at the 2024 Bharat Mobility Expo and snapped a couple of times testing before. The car was revealed several months after the debut of the Curvv EV and Curvv ICE. In fact, Nexon CNG is offered right from the base trim, and that makes for an interesting pricing plan. Tata Motors, which is the country’s largest electric car manufacturer, now seeks to strengthen its eco-focus with this new model.

The All New Tata Nexon CNG

The Nexon CNG itself boasts several unofficial firsts: its 1.2-liter turbocharged engine is among the few of its kind in India, and it’s also considered to be one of the first to offer four fuels at once to choose from for consumers here. The pricing begins at ₹8.99 lakh (ex-showroom) with a total of eight trim levels, including Smart (O), Smart+, Smart+ S, Pure, Pure S, Creative, Creative+, and Fearless+ S. The top-tier Fearless+ S starts at ₹14.59 lakh (ex-showroom).

The groundbreaking turbocharged CNG vehicle, the company informed, is powered by a 1.2L three-cylinder turbo petrol engine deploying Tata’s dual-cylinder CNG technology. The latter produces 118 hp and 170 Nm of torque on petrol while the engine develops 99 bhp in CNG guise with an identical torque output. The turbo-petrol-CNG variant may also be introduced to make Tucson more affordable to a wider audience and also offer blend between performance with cost-effective operation of CNG.

While placement of two 30-litre cylinders (under the boot floor) with Tata’s twin-cylinder i-CNG system frees up more usable boot space when compared to single-cylinder ones. Automatic gear changes are made via an advanced ECU which also allows direct starting on CNG. In the event of a gas leak, the system automatically switches to petrol mode, with added safety features such as a micro switch to turn off the ignition.

Design-wise, the Nexon CNG mirrors its petrol and diesel versions, distinguished only by its i-CNG badge on the boot lid. The interior boasts a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, wireless phone charging, a two-spoke steering wheel, and keyless entry.

Similar to the Tata Nexon EV, which recently received a 5-star safety rating from the Global New Car Assessment Program (GNCAP), the CNG version is equipped with six airbags, a 360-degree camera, a tire pressure monitoring system, ABS, and EBD. Additional features include Isofix child seat mounts, electronic stability control, auto-dimming IRVMs, and a rear defogger. The Tata Nexon CNG will compete with other sub-4m SUVs, including the Maruti Suzuki Brezza CNG, and will also face off against CNG variants of the Hyundai Exter, Maruti Suzuki Fronx, and Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder.