General Motors is en route to launch LPG & CNG cars in India in the next few months. This announcement was made after the American company is trying to strengthen the SUV segment by launching the Automatic transmission variant of it’s best selling Captiva, priced at Rs. 20.3 Lakh.
Karl Slym General Motors India President (GMI) and Managing Director confirmed that their strategy for this year is to bring in more fuel efficient cars and introduce vehicles powered by (other) fuels like CNG and LPG, besides having different power-trains and different displacements. The company will be launching a LPG-driven car in the first half of this year.
We speculate it’s the 800 cc version of the Spark which has been in GM’s pipeline for a long while now. The Aveo, which underwent a minor cosmetic surgery last year, will also be blessed with the LPG heart along with a 1.4-liter diesel engine by the end of 2009. A thoughtful move given the slash in LPG prices by the Indian government. No info on the Cruze or the Beat launch dates yet, until then stay tuned to IAB for more information.
State-run Indian Oil Corporation plans to set up the country’s 2nd hydrogen fuel-dispensing station in the vicinity of the Commonwealth Games Village before 2010 for catering to more than 100 government vehicles to be used for demonstrating the usefulness of the fuel. The station will dispense a mix of hydrogen and CNG in the ratio of 20:80. In the initial phase, Indian Oil is targeting CNG vehicle which can be run on hydrogen fuel mix with a little modification. However a completely new engine (Fuel Cell) is required for using 100% pure hydrogen as fuel.
The Japanese carmaker – Toyota Kirloskar is all set to launch its popular MUV in India – Toyota Innova in CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) version by end – January 2009, hoping to stir demand amid sagging sales. The company is also conducting trials of Innova CNG.
Entry posted on November 25, 2008 by
Dave;
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Tata
Tata Motors’ Thailand division is launching the Xenon Super CNG pickup truck at the forthcoming Bangkok International Motor Expo 2008, on November 29th. The TATA Xenon Super CNG is Tata’s and Thailand’s first purpose-built pickup truck with a factory-installed full CNG system.
Toyota revealed the Camry CNG Hybrid concept, which explores the idea of combining Hybrid Drive technology with natural gas power. It debuts this week at the Los Angeles Auto Show, and is easily identifiable, thanks to its bland looking grille-free front section.
