Tata's Xenon Super CNG pickup ready for launch
Tata Motors (Thailand) is launching the Xenon Super CNG pickup truck at the forthcoming Bangkok International Motor Expo 2008, starting November 29. The TATA Xenon Super CNG is Thailand’s first pickup truck with a factory-installed 100-per cent CNG system. Target customers for Xenon Super CNG are both individual customers who use pickup vehicles for transporting goods on fixed routes, and also big companies which have very high fuel expenses. It can help them cut their operating costs by up to 30 to 50 per cent.
Speaking on the introduction of this first-of-a-kind pickup vehicle, Mr. Ajit Venkataraman, Chief Executive Officer of Tata Motors (Thailand) Co Ltd, said, “We are very pleased to be a part of Thailand’s automobile industry and to provide options to Thai customers that are both innovative and distinctive. Tata Motors’ pickup trucks are designed keeping in mind the requirements of pickup vehicle customers – low operating cost through low fuel consumption and low cost of maintenance. Vehicles that use alternative fuels, especially compressed natural gas (CNG) like the Tata Xenon Super CNG, are going to be more advantageous as the government’s policy is to maintain CNG price to at least half of the price of diesel. We are confident that customers will find the Xenon Super CNG a vehicle of their choice.”
The Xenon Super CNG comes with a 2.1 litre, DOHC multi-point injection engine with a maximum output of 115 hp and a maximum torque of 175 nm at 3,750 rpm. Tata claims the CNG system and components are ‘state-of-the-art’. The gas line is from Sandvik (Germany) and Swagelok (USA), the cylinder valve is from OMB (Italy) and the ECU processes data through various Bosch (Germany) and Valeo (France) sensors.
Compression ratios of the engine have been modified for CNG to ensure smooth combustion. The vehicle has been tested in all road conditions in Thailand, including test drives with CNG from different sources. The varying fuel characteristics have been incorporated into the engine tuning process to ensure that it is capable of meeting varied requirements of commercial pickup vehicle users. CNG cylinder placement under the load body means drivers do not have to sacrifice load capacity.
The Xenon Super CNG X-tend Cab CLE is being introduced at a special price of 519,000 Thai Baht ($US14,700) with 3 years / 100,000 km warranty. Tata Motors (Thailand) have also announced that they have entered collaboration agreements with gas supplier PTT Thailand for the promotion of natural gas vehicles.
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