With fuel prices frequently reaching sky high, customers are speculated to show a shift towards alternate source of power like battery powered cars or other affordable options like CNG powertrains. While CNG fuel has primarily been limited to smaller cars or commercial vehicles, Toyota is planning something unique for the Indian market. Toyota, the Japanese carmaker seems to be close to launching the CNG variant of the glorified MPV, Innova Crysta.
In its current BS-VI avatar the car starts at INR 15.66 lakh* for petrol variants and INR 16.44 lakh* for the diesel variants. The CNG variants are expected to be placed below the petrol powertrain with less features and focus on fuel efficiency. The bi-fuel CNG variant was recently spotted while testing.
The car, which was spotted on National Highway 8 around Gurugram in Haryana, resembled the outgoing version. The car spotted was the lower-spec GX trim, evident from missing features like LED projector headlamps, fog lamps, chrome door handles, chrome window line, chrome inserts on the radiator grille, and the 17-inch alloy wheels that come standard on the top-spec trim.
Speaking of the powertrain, the car is expected to be based on the variant with the 2.7-litre four-cylinder naturally-aspirated petrol engine. It delivers a peak power output of 166 PS and 245 Nm of max torque. Transmission options on the petrol version come in the form of either a 5-speed MT or a 6-speed AT.
As the CNG powertrain is expected to be on the lower variants, it is least likely to have the AT option. At the moment, the car currently rivals the Mahindra Marazzo in the domestic market, which will soon be making its way into the showrooms with a BS-VI engine. The CNG version of the Innova Crysta is most likely to go on sale by Diwali this year.
Stay tuned to IndianAutosBlog.com for more Toyota updates and other four-wheeler news.
*Ex-showroom
