Hyundai Grand i10 NIOS Hy-CNG Duo Launched At 7.75 Lakh

Close on the heels of the Hyundai Exter Hy-CNG Duo’s launch in India, the South Korean automaker has launched the dual CNG tank equipped Grand i10 NIOS Hy-CNG. It’s priced at Rs. 7.75 lakh, ex-showroom Delhi. The car gets dual CNG tanks placed in the boot, and this big change liberates additional space in the boot, making the car more practical than the previous CNG model.

We saw this Dual CNG Tank space-saving technology first on cars built by Tata Motors. Hyundai has followed suit to introduce dual tank CNG tech in its cars, and in a few years, we expect almost every CNG powered car sold in India to feature this design. The Grand i10 NIOS is Hyundai’s entry level hatchback, and is also the most affordable car that the brand sells in India. It’s available with a petrol engine as well.

Coming back to the Grand i10 NIOS Hy-CNG, it’s powered by the tried and tested 1.2 liter-4 cylinder petrol engine that puts out 68 Bhp-95 Nm while running on CNG. On petrol, the same engine makes 82 Bhp-114 Nm. A five speed manual gearbox comes standard. There are two variants on offer, Magna and Sportz. The Sportz trim retails for Rs. 8.3 lakh, ex-showroom Delhi.

As for features, the car gets projector headlamps, LED DRLs, roof rails, a shark fin antenna, touchscreen infotainment unit, mood lighting and rear AC vents. As for safety, 6 airbags come standard while ABS, rear parking camera, tyre pressure monitoring, electronic stability control and hill hold assist are other key features on offer.

The Grand i10 NIOS is meant mainly for city streets, although you’ll find a lot of people doing highway runs as well. The car is a stylish hatchback with classy interiors and comfortable suspension. It even has a compact sedan sibling that’s called the Aura. It’s due for a full model change in a couple of years.

Everyone’s betting big on CNG

Nearly every mass market car maker in India is betting big on CNG. The Indian government is also encouraging the use of CNG for propulsion in cars, two wheelers and even buses. This is because of the fact that India has large reserves of natural gas, and using natural gas instead of petrol or diesel helps the country conserve foreign exchange. Apart from CNG being significantly cheaper than petrol, it’s also cleaner burning. So, the twin benefits of lower cost and lower tail emissions have made governments push for CNG in cars.

However, not all is rosy. CNG dispensing infrastructure is nowhere as widespread as petrol or diesel. Even in cities, CNG refueling stations are limited, and this results in huge queues. Cab operators who run CNG are usually seen occupying most of this queue, and this makes refueling a private CNG car time consuming for most. If this pain point is addressed, we could see a lot more people buying CNG powered cars.

Then there’s the lack of practicality with the CNG tank hogging most of the boot. Hyundai and Tata Motors have worked around this issue through their dual-CNG tank technology, which minimizes the space needed, and making CNG powered cars more practical.