Overview

The ever increasing demand for entry level cars is on its top gear now, with every car manufacturer chasing down to fulfill the need with its product. Tata has given their new Nano for the fight recently and Renault is ready with a much premium looking offering for the segment. KWID, as the car has been named looks more than what it is said to cost. The car can be a fortune maker for Renault as its hatchback has never been a popular car for the country. Even the sales of larger vehicles have gone done considerably, forcing the automaker for some beautiful and fully utilizable change.
 

Exterior

The KWID comes with an unbelievable crossover like design, which seems to differentiate the car from all the segment competitors. The car looks much expensive from its front look, but the expected price is said to be truly satisfactory for the buyers. The best part of the KWID is at the front. The car looks premium from the front, with an all new grill and aggressive looking headlights. The hood seems next to perfection and the net structure below the front grill has been beautifully integrated into the bumper. The cars in the segment are rather simple but Renault has ignited the fire in the entry level hatchback segment. The tyres have some sort of cladding which follows unevenly through the body, being present at the front and rear only.
 

Dimesions & Ground Clearance

The length of Renault KWID is 3679mm, width is 1579mm, height is 1478mm and the ground clearance is quite impressive at 180mm. The wheelbase of the car is 2422mm and the boot space is largest in its class at 300 litres.

Interior

The interior of the KWID is the best one which can be offered in the segment. It comes with a touchscreen which also supports navigation and Bluetooth. The interior looks premium from the first look and the placing of buttons on the dash increases the beauty of the car. The air vents are practically designed, with a large glove box, for easy storage of important things in the car. The gear lever has been beautifully designed and the center console looks very gentle and clean. Everything seems perfect for an entry level hatchback.

Instrument Console

The instrument console on the new KWID is fully digital and is enclosed in a very elegant setup. The center houses the digital speedometer, with the odometer also in the same segment. The right has the digital fuel gauge, whereas the left of the console houses lights for seat belt, battery and all other indications. This will be the first ever digital display in the entry level segment, which clearly shows Renault’s plan of being a class apart from other manufacturers.

Engine, Gearbox & Mileage

The Renault KWID comes with a 3-cylinder, 799 cc petrol motor, which is said to be the most economical motor in the segment by Renault. It generates maximum power of 53.2 BHP @ 5678 rpm with maximum torque of 72 NM @ @ 4386 rpm. The gearbox used is 5-speed manual and the talks for an AMT has been kept for some other time. The car seems large from its visuals only, the engine factor makes it very competitive in the Indian market as no other brand is offering aggressive looking mini beast with all such advanced features.

Safety & Comfort

The braking at the front is handled by disc brakes, whereas the rear gets drum brakes for the KWID. ABS is missing which seems to be a normal skipping point for the manufacturers in the entry level cars in India. The suspension at the front is the McPherson's whereas the rear gets a multi-arm type suspension. The car looks pretty good with its visuals but the tyres seems to be small when compared to its body size. The car seems to be spacious, with many of the comfort features being missed on the other cars in the segment. The top variant of KWID is expected to come with optional driver side airbag.

Expected Variants

Initially Renault KWID 800 is expected to be available in 4 variants - Standard, RxE, RxL & top-of-the-line RxT. It is also expected that the company may launch automatic AMT verision next year plus there are also rumours doing rounds that they are also planning to launch 1000cc version of KWID to compete with Alto K10 & Eon 1.0.

Expected Ex-showroom Price

The new Renault KWID is expected to be around INR 3.0 to INR 4.0 lakh, which makes it a really fair deal for such a feature packed vehicle.

French carmaker Renault unveiled its small hatchback for the Indian market, the Kwid, in Chennai earlier this year. Spy pics of the Renault Kwid have also surfaced and you can find them in this post here. The upcoming car will be manufactured at Nissan-Renault’s facility near Chennai, and will take on the likes of Maruti Alto 800 and Hyundai Eon. The Kwid looks more like a crossover with its high set bonnet and plastic cladding and in all chances, the upcoming model will be promoted as a ‘micro SUV’. The Renault Kwid was recently spotted testing, which confirms that its launch plans are right on the track. The latest spy shots of the KWID reveal what could possibly be the top spec trim of the hatchback. Here, in this post, you can find all the Renault Kwid India launch details, along with pictures from the car’s unveiling event.

Launch

The Renault Kwid India launch is expected to take place around the festive season this year.

Pics

Here are some pics from the Renault Kwid India debut event.

Teaser Video

 

Price

The Renault Kwid India price would be around INR 3.2 lakhs for the entry-level variant. 

Booking

The Indian subsidiary of Renault has commenced bookings for the Kwid. The upcoming small car can be booked at the official Renault dealership for INR 25,000.

Renault KWID Walk Around Video

Specification

As we mentioned earlier, the Renault Kwid will be powered by a 3-cylinder, 800 cc petrol motor developed by Renault Nissan Technology Business Centre India. The engine, cast out of aluminium, will be extremely compact and lightweight, and will return best in class mileage. The Kwid will be the first of many models based on Renault-Nissan’s jointly developed CMF-A platform, which will also underpin a small car by Datsun based on the Redi-GO concept. Transmission options on offer will be a 5-speed manual and a 5-speed AMT.

Features

The Kwid will come with all the features that one can expect from a small hatchback. However, the highlight of the Kwid’s features list will be the Renault MediaNAV, which includes FM Radio, Sat-Nav, Bluetooth and a 7-inch touchscreen interface. Seen here in the latest spy shots is possibly the top spec trim of the Kwid as it gets roof rails, alloy wheels, fog lamps, and chrome embellishments all around. A new report on the cyber space states that the Renault XBA hatchback, which is expected to soon become an entry-level model that will rival the likes of Maruti Suzuki Alto, Hyundai Eon and the Datsun Go, will be unveiled on May 20th. Powering the smaller-than-Pulse hatchback from Renault will be an 800 cc 3-cylinder petrol engine that is likely to come mated to a five-speed manual gearbox or an AMT. Also, there are good chances that the upcoming model will be christened as the Renault Kayou. So far, Renault has used the name “Ka” or “Ca” for all its new crossovers, and the XBA hatchback, which is said to have a crossover-like design, could soon become the smallest car with “Ka” nomenclature. The upcoming Renault XBA is likely to go on sale in India around this year’s festive season.

Updated on 16th February, 2015-  The XBA has been spotted again, and this time around, the test mule of the upcoming hatchback was spotted by our friends at Motoroids. As we have been saying, the XBA will target the likes of Maruti Suzuki Alto, Hyundai Eon and the Datsun Go.Here’s what the latest spy pics reveal –  Roof-mounted antennae, three-spoke steering wheel and dual-tone interior. The upcoming model is based on the CMF-A platform and is being expected to be powered by an 800cc, three-cylinder petrol engine that will be high on both performance and fuel efficiency.
Updated on 17th December, 2014– Mr. Sumt Sawhney, CEO and Managing Direction at Renault India, recently told IANS that his company plans to introduce a MPV and a small car in near future. While it has always been known that the manufacturer plans to launch a 800cc Renault XBA hatchback and the Lodgy MPV in India Mr. Sawhney has now revealed that the XBA is going to be “an exciting package with unique design cues”.
Renault’s upcoming entry level hatchback has already been caught testing in India albeit with a very heavy camouflage. The upcoming small car will also challenge the Hyundai Eon once it is launched in early 2015. The vehicle will share it’s platform with the Datsun Redi-GO concept showcased at the 2014 Auto Expo with a sub Rs. 4 Lakh price.
Design wise the Renault XBA hatchback is expected to borrow heavily form the Datsun Redi-GO concept which, based on the good looks of the concept, means the XBA could do very well in that department. The spy shots don’t reveal much in terms of design but the general size and shape look similar to the Redi-GO and it looks bigger in size than the Alto 800 and the Eon.
It will also share it’s underpinnings with the Redi-GO as the Renault XBA makes use of the same Common Modular Family or CMF platform as the concept. This platform was developed as part of the Renault-Nissan alliance and the Renault XBA makes use of the CMF-A, the suffix signifying that it’s for the smallest and the least expensive cars from the alliance. The entry level hatchback will be powered by a 800 cc motor mated to a 5 speed manual transmission and should be highly fuel efficient especially if it needs to succeed in our highly mileage-centric market.
The Renault XBA hatchback will be manufactured at Renault-Nissan’s Chennai facility which has already been expanded to make place for the vehicle. Brazil will also be one of the manufacturing locations as Renault plans on selling the XBA in other developing nations as well.

Renault Duster Facelift India Launch this Year; Automatic Variant Coming too!

Launch

Launch dates have not been confirmed yet, but the Renault Duster facelift and the automatic variant is expected to hit showrooms by the end of 2015 maybe around the festive season.

Price

A marginal price hike can be expected. Although Renault would not want to lose the price advantage the Duster has over the Creta in order to stay competitive. The automatic variant could be priced at an estimated INR 13.5 lakhs. The facelifted Renault Duster will be priced in the INR 9-13 lakh range.

Features

Talking about the exteriors, the facelifted Renault Duster will NOT be the same as the one shown in pictures here. Instead, it will be a very mild facelift which would enable Renault to not hike prices significantly. The facelift could be based on the Duster Adventure version. New alloy wheels, tweaked headlamps and tail lamps and side cladding could also be on the cards.

Specs

The Renault Duster facelift will not see any mechanical changes apart from the introduction of the automatic transmission. The automatic transmission unit on offer would a dual clutch 6-speed gearbox mated to the 110PS 1.5 litre diesel engine. It will be available only in the 2WD guise for now, but a 4WD automatic could also be offered at a later stage.

What remains to be seen is as to how much will the re-designing and innovation in the facelifted model would be successful when it comes on road. As is the case now, the Renault Duster facelift will compete against the Ford EcoSport, Mahindra XUV500 W4, Nissan Terrano, Hyundai Creta and the Maruti S-Cross. The price for this model could rise by Rs 20,000 to Rs 30,000 per variant as compared to the current Duster.

Renault Lodgy MPV India launch is expected to happen in early January. Manufacturer releases first image of India-spec model

That the Renault Lodgy MPV is headed to India isn’t a secret anymore. From the looks of it, Renault India has already started producing the upcoming model at its Orgadam plant in Tamil Nadu and it has today released the first official image of the India-spec Lodgy. As we were saying, for India, the Lodgy gets a new front-grille and some really minor styling tweaks. The biggest change that can made out from the just release image is the addition of chrome highlights. The Lodgy also seems to have got new design alloy wheels. Check out our comprehensive report here for all details on the Renault Lodgy MPV India launch details.

Launch:

As we’ve been saying, the Renault Lodgy India launch is likely to happen in early 2015.

Price:

Expect the Lodgy to be priced at a very competitive Rs 7.5-11.5 Lakh.

Market Competitors:

• Toyota Innova
• Maruti Ertiga
• Honda Mobilio

The Renault Lodgy in India looks promising -inspite of being called LODGY- but so does the upcoming Honda Mobilio. But will they mount a serious challenge to the highly respected Toyota Innova? You would want to keep an eye on this space.

Images:

Specifications:

Mechanically, Lodgy is likely to receive the Duster’s configuration, which means it would get the K9K turbo diesel and the 1.6 liter petrol. Duster in India offers K9K turbo diesel in 85PS and 110PS form. As the Lodgy is a three-row-seating vehicle the 110PS would give it the requisite muscle. The 110PS version gets the snappier variable geometry turbo charging with inter-cooler delivering 248 Nm of maximum torque. On the eprformance side, the Lodgy edges out its fiercest rival of the segment; the tried, tested and adored Toyota Innova which delivers 100.6 bhp and 200 Nm torque.
Even though the jury is still out whether size matters, dimensionally Renault Lodgy looks Bigger in appearance. Measuring in at 4.5m in length, its similar to the Innova but slightly bigger than the Ertiga and the yet to be launched Mobilio.