Renault puts money on Kwid

RENAULT has revealed the vehicle with which it plans to crack the relatively untapped Indian market, showcasing its Kwid budget baby SUV ahead of its global launch in the second half of this year.

Costing between three and four Lakhs (the equivalent of AU$6000 to AU$8000) the Kwid will primarily target India's low-cost vehicle driven market, but the French car-maker says the little crossover will also compete in other regions.

Renault has not yet finalised which markets outside India the Kwid would go on sale, but Renault Australia could confirm it would not be coming here, despite a growing local interest in high-riders.

While it may wear the French diamond badge, the Kwid is all-Indian with its design and construction handled inside the country, forming part of Renault's ongoing global expansion plans.

Renault aims to increase its Indian market share from 2.0 per cent to a mid-term 5.0 per cent by targeting the country's middle classes, who are looking to escape the constraints of an overloaded public transport system.

By offering the affordable Kwid on Indian soil, Renault is planning to capture a portion of a potential car market, in which just 2.0 per cent of people currently own a vehicle.

However, last year saw a 3.1 per cent increase in sales nationally, and if current growth trends continue, Renault is predicting India to be the third largest market on the planet by the end of the decade.

Little technical detail has been revealed about the newest addition to Renault's SUV line-up but the Kwid measures 3680mm long and 1580mm wide – approximately the same size as the tiny Fiat 500, but with a pothole hopping 180mm ground clearance.

Renault does not specify interior dimensions but says the Kwid “sets the standard in its category for all five occupants” with comfortable front and rear seats and a dash-mounted 7.0-inch information screen with Bluetooth connectivity.

The little car also has “a very spacious boot for a best-in-class load capacity,” says the car-maker.

The model will be the first to use the Renault-Nissan Alliance Common Model Family A (CMF-A) platform and will be followed by 10 more Renault and three Nissan platform-sharing vehicles in the coming years.