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. The CNG version of the Innova Crysta is most likely to go on sale by
Diwali this year.
