Renault to unveil the XBA global hatch on May 20

Renault has confirmed that its new global budget hatchback, internally called XBA, will make its international debut in Chennai, on May 20. The XBA will be the new entry-level car in Renault’s line-up, and has been especially developed for emerging markets like India, Russia, South Africa and Brazil.

Based on Renault’s CMF-A (common module family – affordable) architecture, the new XBA hatchback will share a majority of its underpinnings and design with its technical partner’s budget hatchback, the Datsun Redi Go. Previous spy shots have shown that the car will have compact dimensions with minimal overhang and a sharply raked windscreen, though we are yet to get a clear glimpse of the car.

The Renault XBA is expected to be powered by an 800cc three-cylinder unit, which will be mated to a five-speed manual gearbox. And while the company hasn’t confirmed this yet, reports suggest that Renault will also offer an AMT-type gearbox for the XBA.

Like the other Renault cars, the XBA will be produced at Renault-Nissan’s manufacturing unit in Oragadam, Chennai. The Renault XBA will rival other entry-level hatchbacks like the Maruti Suzuki Alto 800, Hyundai Eon and the upcoming Tata GenX Nano. 

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