The ever-increasing petrol and diesel prices have led to a significant growth in the demand for CNG cars. In fact, the cost advantage offered by CNG vehicles is such that many small car manufacturers have discontinued the diesel variants of their offerings and replaced them with the CNG versions. A case in point here is the likes of the Hyundai Grand i10 Nios, which, unlike its earlier generation, doesn’t offer a diesel variant. Instead, it’s been on sale with the CNG technology. Similarly, even other small cars from Hyundai, namely Aura and Exter, offer a CNG variant each. Now, it looks like Hyundai has taken a leaf from Tata Motors’ books and will soon start offering dual-cylinder CNG cars. This revelation of sorts comes from the carmaker filing trademarks for ‘Hy-CNG’ and ‘Hy-CNG Duo’.
Hyundai Hy-CNG and Hy-CNG Duo
Hyundai filed trademarks for Hy-CNG and Hy-CNG Duo back in May. This is a clear indication of the carmaker planning to re-introduce its CNG lineup with a new nameplate. Our guess is that the Hy-CNG will be the current single-cylinder layout. Meanwhile, the Hy-CNG Duo could be the name for the dual-cylinder layout akin to what Tata Motors offers on its vehicles. In such an arrangement, the boot holds not one but two CNG cylinders. Each of these is smaller in volume than the conventional single cylinder. However, their combined volume tends to be higher. Moreover, they enable better space management, thereby resulting in the provision of optimal boot space.
The new CNG variants are likely to be limited to the Grand i10 Nios, Aura, and Exter. These vehicles already offer a factory-fitted CNG kit with a single-cylinder layout. In comparison, Tata Motors offers twin-cylinder CNG tech on the Tiago, Tigor, Punch, and Altroz. The provision of the twin-cylinder layout made these vehicles an instant hit. Much of this is simply due to the extra practicality this layout offers. The new arrangement increases the luggage space on offer, which takes care of a huge issue users of conventional CNG cars face. Instead of a huge cylinder occupying much of the luggage compartment, the twin-cylinder pack takes the place of the spare wheel. This frees up a lot of boot space, with only a small bump making its way into the boot.
Our View
Tata Motors has clearly shown a new way of installing CNG kits in cars. Their innovative approach has definitely given then am edge in the CNG segment. However, from the looks of it, the competition is fast catching up. Hyundai Motor India is expected to launch their iteration of the twin-cylinder technology in the near future. Similarly, even Maruti Suzuki will likely introduce a similar setup in the time to come. For now, though, we wonder if Hyundai will offer the new technology even in some of its costlier models like the Venue and the i20. It’s noteworthy that Tata Motors offers this new-age CNG layout on the Nexon as well as the Altroz.
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