Bharat Mobility Expo: Tata Nexon i-CNG Concept Debuts, Previews Production-Ready Model

Bharat Mobility Expo: The Tata Nexon i-CNG, in its concept form, has made its India debut at the inaugural Bharat Mobility Expo, scheduled to be held at the Bharat Mandapam Convention Centre, New Delhi. Showcased along with other Tata concepts – Harrier EV, the Curvv SUV, and the Altroz Racer, the Nexon i-CNG remained the major attraction at stand H14-04, and will go on sale soon in India. 

In terms of design and equipment, the Nexon i-CNG looks quite similar to the petrol/diesel-powered Nexon SUV; however, the production-spec version will come with CNG-specific changes, once launched in India. Mechanically, the Tata Nexon i-CNG comes powered by a 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol engine connected to a factory-installed twin-cylinder CNG kit. The power and torque figures of the CNG version are yet to be revealed. For your reference, the turbo-petrol unit generates 118bhp and 170Nm. 

Also Read: Tata Nexon SUV Clocks 6 Lakh Unit Production Milestone in India

With this, the Nexon SUV will gain a new powertrain option, and will be the only vehicle in the country to be equipped with a range of powertrains, such as petrol, diesel, CNG, and EV. Meanwhile, transmission options include manual, AMT, and DCT.

The estimated capacity of the CNG cylinders is 60 litres, while the car gets 230 litres of boot space. In terms of equipment, the Nexon i-CNG offers a micro switch, a single advanced ECU, a modular fuel filter, leak detection failure, direct start in CNG mode, leakage-proof materials, thermal incident protection, an auto fuel switch, and more.

Tata Curvv Likely to Arrive Later This Year

In addition to the Nexon i-CNG, the Tata Curvv in a near-production-ready version also made its India debut at the ongoing event. Under the hood, the SUV is equipped with a 1.5-litre, four-cylinder, diesel engine that churns out 113bhp and 260Nm of torque. This engine, which also powers the Tata Nexon facelift, is mated to a six-speed manual transmission.

The Tata Curvv seems to sport a few visual enhancements. These include modified headlamp and foglamp housings, a revised front bumper, and an LED lightbar with extensions along the outside corners akin to those on the Nexon SUV. Finished in black instead of the original body colour, the grille is blanked out. The car's rear profile features an LED light bar with a deeper gloss and more production-ready light clusters. Moreover, supplementary lights are now housed in the bumper's triangle insets. All in all, the rear view doesn't deviate much from the concept that was showcased last year. 

Also Read: Bharat Mobility Expo: Tata Curvv SUV with 1.5-litre Diesel Engine Debuts in Near Production Ready Avatar

The ICE-powered Tata Curvv is expected to go on sale in the country before the end of 2024; however, there is no official confirmation. Its electric variant is expected to be released first. Unfortunately, not much data is known on the electric drivetrain; but, the car is built on the manufacturer's Gen2 structure, which is said to have a 500-kilometre range.