While CNG is not available all across India, the pockets where the cleaner fuel is dispensed enjoys very high demand. Not only does it improve the air quality of the city, but it also helps save heavily on running costs for frequent long distance travelers.
GM India capitalized the surge in demand for CNG cars by introducing the Optra and Aveo with CNG engines. Now that these models have retired, GM has to pick out vehicles from its new range to fit CNG kits to, as CNG cars are a small but steady sales stream.
Motorbeam.com's images are proof that GM India have started working on the CNG variant of the Enjoy. Launched early this year, a large portion of this model's sales are taken up by fleet operators and moreover, segment leader Maruti have just introduced the Ertiga CNG. These factors make a strong case for GM to add a CNG variant to the Enjoy's trim lines.
These images were shot by Motorbeam.com's reader Amey Thakur in Bangalore, where GM's technical center is situated that provides support to local and global programs. The Bangalore facility developed the 1-liter diesel engine for the Beat and integrated the 1.3L diesel engine on to the Sail and Enjoy models.
At the heart of the Chevrolet Enjoy CNG variant would be the 1.4-liter SMARTECH petrol mill that produces about 104 PS of power and 131Nm of torque. A switch to toggle between CNG and petrol should appear on the dashboard, and so could a gas level indicator on the instrument console. We expect the CNG variant to be about 45-50k rupees more expensive than its petrol counterpart and it should be launched next year.
[Images from - Motorbeam]
