Renault to expand Kwid family in India

Renault has announced that it will expand the Kwid family of vehicles in India by 2022 as a part of its 'Drive the Future' strategic plan. The Kwid, since its launch here in 2015, has been super successful for the French automaker and is one of the first cars to properly take on the Maruti Alto family of vehicles.

The car is based on the CMF-A platform and has already spawned the Kwid in 800cc and 1.0-litre guises as well as the Datsun Redigo in 800cc and 1.0-litre guises. It will then go on to create a B-segment SUV, MPV and a low cost EV as well.

MPV
The automaker has said that an India specific MPV will be built from this family. It will be a sub four metre vehicle and is expected to share its underpinnings with the Kwid. We believe that the design lines too will be similar to retain the family looks.
 However, given that the Kwid’s Japanese cousin, the Go+, has not tasted too much success as a pseudo seven-seater, we believe that Renault will bank on the MPV body style rather than selling it on the concept of seven seats.

B-segment compact SUV
The Kwid’s SUV design has demonstrated the success that it can bring and it looks like Renault wants to take this further. We expect that they will create a B-segment SUV to take on the Maruti Suzuki Swift, Hyundai Grand i0, Mahindra KUV100 NXT and even some of the compact sedans. It’s a untapped part of the market when it comes to this body style and surely with its luck Renault will be the first to do so.

Low cost EV
There is a growing demand for EVs across price brackets and it looks like the Kwid will be the hero to don the mantle in this part of the market for Renault. It is expected to have a small motor and battery pack and mainly be offered as a city vehicle for short commutes.

There had been talks of a compact sedan based on the Kwid. It would have been a direct rival for the likes of the Tata Tigor in the entry-level B-segment. However, recent reports suggest that this project has been put on hold at present.