Renault’s plans for Auto Expo 2016

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Renault India plans to make two announcements at the 2016 Auto Expo next month. While there is no confirmation from the French carmaker about the products, it isn’t too difficult to guess what these two will be. 

Renault Duster facelift: The Duster is on sale in India for over three years and the facelift is long overdue. The updated car has been spotted testing several times and will feature an AMT transmission. The updates to the Hyundai Creta rival include a revised front, which will make the car look more aggressive.

The AMT transmission is expected to be available only with the 110bhp model, while the rest will continue to use the manual gearbox. The Duster facelift will only be unveiled at the Expo and the actual launch will be towards the end of March.

1.0-litre Kwid AMT: Renault will display the two new versions of the very successful hatchback, the Kwid, at the expo. The entry-level hatchback will get a 1.0-litre engine to compete with the Maruti Suzuki Alto K10 and the Hyundai 1.0-litre Eon. The other version will also use the same set-up, but will use an AMT transmission to compete with the Alto AMT. 

Renault had previously confirmed plans of introducing both these versions without providing specific timelines. Once again, the expo will be used to gauge public reaction and the models will be launched in the second half of 2016, around the festive season.