Tata Magic Iris CNG showcased at the 2012 Indian Auto Expo!

Tata Magic Iris CNG Front View

Earlier we reported the scoop of a test mule of the Tata Magic Iris CNG doing the test rounds on the outskirts of Pune. The Tata Magic Iris CNG is now out in the open, as a model showcased by Tata Motors at the 2012 Indian Auto Expo. The Tata Magic Iris CNG comes at a crucial time for Tata Motors, even as Bajaj Auto is lining up its own version of a four wheeled people mover in the form of the RE60, and one which will be also available in CNG guise.

The Tata Magic Iris CNG is not a dual fuel variant and instead will feature a dedicated single cylinder CNG engine that displaces 611cc and produces power-torque figures of 13 Bhp and 37 Nm. The CNG tank in the Magic Iris will have a capacity of 9 Kg and will provide a range of 220 kilometers per tankful. The Magic Iris comes with a hauling capacity of 4 to 5 passengers depending on the variant.

Tata Magic Iris CNG Specification

The Tata Magic Iris appears much more four wheeler like than the Bajaj RE60, which almost looks comical but the fact of the matter is Bajaj Auto is gunning for a 1 lakh rupee price tag for the RE60, a price tag that the Magic Iris would find very difficult to match. Tata Motors, it appears will rely on their experience in four wheeled commercial vehicles to deliver a better product through the Magic Iris, to take on the Bajaj RE60.

Coming to the key differences between the RE60 and the Magic Iris, the Magic Iris has the capacity of seating one more passenger and also has proper sliding windows up front instead of the tiltable units present in the RE60. The on road cost of the Magic Iris in CNG mode is expected to exceed 2 Lakh rupees at the time of its launch.

Tata Magic Iris CNG - Side View

Source: ICB

Tata Magic Iris CNG with facelift scooped

Barely six months have elapsed after Tata Motors launched the Magic Iris passenger carrier and the Ace Zip mini pick up, and here we are, already staring at a possible facelift of the Tata Magic Iris, which could be a result of the market feedback that Tata Motors has garnered over the past half year or so. Our roving eye in the sky, EarthFusion has just managed to snap up a facelifted CNG powered Magic Iris doing the testing rounds!

The Tata Magic Iris passenger carrier, intended to be a people mover that could replace the ubiquitous autorickshaws in urban and rural India, has been doing decent numbers for Tata Motors, along with its load carrying sibling, the Ace Zip. This said, the Tata Magic Iris came with cloth/flexible plastic based rear windows and rear windshield. Tata Motors seems to have recognized that the cloth/flexible plastic based windows and rear windshield might not work very well in inclement weather.

Thus, we have a glass window at the rear and the rear windshield too is now a glass item, a-la-Tata Nano. Also, both the middle windows and the rear window seem to have become bigger than before, a move perhaps to make the Magic Iris more airy. These two features might be what the next facelift of the Magic Iris could get and along with that, a CNG heart is also in the offing,.

The CNG engine for the Magic Iris might help this little people mover find a ready market in urban India’s big metros where CNG penetration is steadily picking up. So, the pesky autorickshaws might after all get replaced by something that is equally compact and maneuverable while also being much more safer and non polluting with CNG as the fuel option of choice.

Source: Indian Cars Bikes