With the ever-rising fuel prices in India, the only drivers currently at peace are those who drive CNG. The green fuel is gaining popularity in India and around the world too. With Maruti Suzuki starting the CNG trend in India, more and more automakers have experimented with providing CNG in their cars. In this article, we are going to talk about an automaker who is loved by every enthusiast around the globe. We are talking about Skoda and particularly about the Skoda Octavia G-Tec CNG! You will be surprised to know that even Skoda is now interested in CNG considering the environmental aspects and the growing fuel prices (in the case of India). Hold on all the Indian readers! Don’t judge a book by its cover. Let’s dive deep into this new unveil and see if it’s practical in India!
Skoda Octavia G-Tec CNG | Engine Details
The Skoda Octavia G-Tec CNG is powered by a 1.5-litre TSI engine. Talking about the power figures, you would get a power output of around 128hp (130PS). This is almost 20hp more than the previous generation of the same engine. As mentioned earlier, the engine inside the Skoda Octavia G-Tec is powered by both petrol and CNG like all the other CNG cars that we have in India and abroad.
What is the projected range for the Skoda Octavia G-Tec CNG?
Prepare yourselves for the best CNG range you have ever seen! With a CNG holding capacity of 17.33kg, the Octavia G-Tec CNG has got an exceptional range of 480kms on CNG itself. About the tanks, there is a steel tank in front of the rear axle and the other two tanks are placed under the luggage compartment are made up of a new composite material that combines ultimate safety with low weight. Also, there is a petrol tank which is able to carry 11.8 litres of petrol to provide you with an additional range in case you are out of CNG. The standalone range offered by the Skoda Octavia G-Tec on CNG is claimed to be around 480kms and petrol adds on around 190 km. Roughly, you can say this car has a combined range of around 700kms.
Read 10 Reasons Why Indians Absolutely love Skoda Cars!
But, why did Skoda develop a CNG Octavia?
Most of you might think that Skoda is a premium brand and shouldn’t be trying this move in India or anywhere else in the world. Starting this off with a minor piece of information that just like all the other sequential CNG kits, the one inside the Skoda Octavia also activates only when the engine has reached a certain safe temperature. The engine will start on petrol and will shift automatically on CNG thereby making it an efficient and cheap drive.
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Additionally, there are 2 more conditions in which the Skoda Octavia G-Tec CNG will operate on petrol. The first one is when you are driving at a place where the temperature drops below -10 degree Celsius. The second condition is where the gas tanks are so empty that the pressure drops below 11 bar.
The Czech automaker says that running the Octavia on CNG can cut down the CO2 emissions by 25% and the NOx output is also low with absolutely no particulate matter left behind. This new version of the Octavia complies with EU6d-TEMP, making it an eco-friendly option over all the others available in Europe. Again, quoting an already known fact, the automaker has also mentioned on the official website that CNG has got higher energy content than petrol or diesel and also burns silently as compared to other fuels.
Will the Skoda Octavia G-Tec CNG come to India?
Coming to the most interesting part of the article. Will Skoda launch this CNG powered sedan in India? Well, considering the current situation, they can. They surely can. CNG is gaining popularity in India considering the rising petrol and diesel prices. Skoda is expected to launch the next update in the Octavia series in February 2021 and we expect them to launch the CNG version as well. Skoda Octavia CNG, if launched in India, will prove to be a breakthrough in the market. This will be the first of its kind luxury sedan powered by a CNG engine!
This might be heartbreaking for some Octavia enthusiasts considering the huge remap possibilities it has got. We know a tuned Octavia can beat any expensive luxury car in terms of performance but bringing in CNG will reduce the power for sure. Considering the fuel economy of 27.7km per kg, Octavia can easily outsell any bestselling sedan here in India. FYI, Honda has also tried CNG in the City and are expected to launch it here soon.
Read Next-Gen Skoda Octavia to launch in Early February 2021
It’s interesting to see how Maruti Suzuki (a budget automaker) started the CNG trend in India and luxury brand owners still criticise it to an extent. With mid-ranged car makers like Honda and luxury car makers like Skoda stepping into the CNG game, it would be interesting to see how the audience reacts. With the diesel era coming to an end, CNG is definitely the future. Let’s see how more and more automakers shift to this green fuel!
