Tata Motors is evaluating CNG and strong hybrid powertrain options for its models over 4 metres in length, Autocar Professional, our sister publication, reported. While a CNG powertrain is offered in smaller, under 4-metre-long Tata cars, including the Tiago hatchback, Tigor sedan, and Punch and Nexon SUVs, a hybrid option is currently absent from the homegrown carmaker’s entire portfolio.
- Tata sold over 120,000 CNG cars in 2024
- Volumes are inching towards 150,000 this year
Tata’s powertrain diversification strategy comes ahead of the tighter, 2027-bound CAFE 3 emission norms, as well as rising demand. In FY2025, CNG posted the strongest powertrain-wise growth at 35 percent, followed by hybrid at 15.40 percent and electric at 15 percent. High petrol prices and the government’s discouragement of diesel have also prompted buyers to consider alternative fuels.
Tata’s CNG and hybrid plan details
At present, all Tata models above 4-metre-long – divided into over 4.3 metres (Curvv and the upcoming Sierra) and above 4.6 metres (Harrier and Safari) – are SUVs. “We are…very closely watching the 4.3-metre segment. Potentially, if we see demand there, we might extend our portfolio of CNG offerings in that segment also,” Shailesh Chandra, managing director of Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles and Tata Passenger Electric Mobility, stated at the brand’s Q2 FY26 earnings call. While exact details have not been disclosed, the Tata Curvv, which shares its 1.2-litre, three-cylinder turbo-petrol engine with the Nexon, could also borrow the compact SUV’s twin-cylinder setup. Notably, Tata is the only carmaker to offer a CNG setup with a turbo-petrol engine.
“The hybrid, as I said, is reactive…we will study the market more from a competitiveness perspective. The obvious segments to look at would be the higher, bigger cars to start with,” Chandra said, while making it clear the technology remains in the evaluation phase. “[Hybrid tech] could be brought not just for emission reasons, but performance reasons also,” he had stated earlier this year. Chandra had also outlined Tata’s internal powertrain forecast: 30 percent EVs, 27 percent CNG, 6-10 percent diesel, and the rest petrol, hybrids included.
With inputs from Ketan Thakkar and Prerna Lidhoo.
