With the diesel engines being discontinued in the Skoda and Volkswagen Group, they are heavily relying on the petrol models. But still, the sales are not that great as compared to the oil burners. Hence, this German group is working on alternative fuel such as CNG. In this recent spy shot caught near Pune, Skoda Rapid has been spotted refuelling at the CNG pump.
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There is no doubt that Skoda has been working on bringing CNG models for cars like Octavia, Kamiq and Scala. Once they're in, it'll will reduce the cost of both petrol and diesel by up to 40 to 50% with their efficient technologies and bigger cylinders.
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This spy shot caught somewhere in Pune discloses the Czech carmakers plan that they are ready with CNG technology in the Rapid. This entry-level sedan is the cheapest and carries a value for money badge in the Indian market right now.
The only doubt we have if the other fuel option in this Rapid is the 1.0L turbocharged petrol engine or is Skoda keen on bringing the 1.6L MPI back? Since this is a 2020 model, we expect Skoda will bring in the CNG version of the Rapid by 2021 with the 1.0L turbocharged petrol engine only.
This engine makes as much as 109 bhp with a peak torque of 175 Nm. For CNG vehicles, there is 10% of power loss and even if with 99 bhp, the Rapid will be a breeze to drive. More importantly, it will be cheaper to run than all of its competition.
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To give you an instance, the 2021 Octavia for global markets gets 1.5-litre TSI motor and gets a factory-fitted CNG. The company claims that with this alternative fuel option, the car will run up to 500 km which is an efficient figure for a D-Segment sedan. The mileage for the CNG sticks to 27.77 km/kg while for the petrol it is 21.73 km/l.
However, in the Octavia, there are 3 CNG tanks which decrease the boot space capacity from 590 litres to just 455 litres. Another thing is that one cannot switch between petrol and CNG modes manually. If the as tanks are low in pressure, then petrol fuel supply will happen automatically. Or when the outside temperature is below -5 Celcius, petrol will be initially used and several other factors.
Like we said above, with the discontinuation, the sales of the cars have been affected but with alternative fuels like CNG, the Czech carmaker will revive up the sales. What's your opinion on the upcoming Skoda Rapid CNG and will you buy it? It saves the environment and will not hamper the performance too. Well, by a margin let's say. Do let us know in the comment sections.
