It's been a year of milestone for Renault's sporty, smart and stunning SUV. Here's taking a look at some of them.
Published on Mar 10, 2022 06:12:00 PM
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A year may be a small step for many, but the last 12-odd months have seen Renault India take a giant leap with the Kiger. With a combination of sporty, stunning and smart attributes, the Kiger, which has been instrumental in propelling India into the top five global markets for Renault, has proved to be yet another game-changer for the company. And, as the redoubtable SUV completes a year in India, we take a look back at the exciting journey it’s been on.
The Kiger’s first tryst with the world came in November 2020 with the much-anticipated global reveal of the show car. A collaboration between Renault’s corporate design teams in France and India, the concept attracted a lot of attention with its sporty and modern design, complete with flared wheel arches, short overhangs, aggressive stance and impactful two-level lighting. What further upped the excitement was the fact that the production-version would be about 80 percent similar to the show car, in terms of design.
The reveal of the show car was followed by the global premier of the Renault Kiger in January 2021. True to the concept, the production version Kiger instantly made a mark with its robust, dynamic presence, and its ability to deftly navigate both, the urban jungle as well as the outdoors. The long wheelbase translated into great space and volume on board and the ‘smart cabin’ accentuated the practical onboard experience, making everyday driving easy and enjoyable.
Even as the Kiger earned praise for being a well-rounded automobile, what sweetened the deal for the Indian market was that the global SUV would first be launched in India, followed by other markets. The Kiger’s attractive pricing and innovative product positioning, which made B-SUVs accessible to B-Hatch segment customers, was not only a testament to Renault India’s focus on making cars that offer an unmatched value proposition, but also a move towards fulfilling the growing SUV aspirations of a wide set of customers.
At launch, the bookings for the Kiger commenced across Renault’s countrywide dealership network of over 500 sales outlets as well as online, with deliveries kicking off from early March 2021. More than 1,100 Kigers were delivered to customers across India on the first day of commencement of sales, heralding Renault’s foray into the largest and the fastest growing segment of the Indian automobile market. The Kiger soon established itself as a breakthrough product and witnessed tremendous acceptance amongst a wide set of car buyers in India. In a fitting gesture, Renault India also presented some of India’s young Olympians with the Kiger in 2021.
Next step was to widen the B-segment SUV’s reach, and thus, commenced the Kiger’s exports, first to Nepal in mid-July 2021, followed by South Africa in early August. The start of Kiger exports has marked a significant milestone in Renault’s Make in India journey, demonstrating the competence of India’s design, engineering and manufacturing capabilities. Currently, the Kiger is being exported to 14 countries across SAARC, Asia-Pacific, Indian Oceanic Region, South Africa and East Africa.
As the Kiger’s acceptance gained among the customers during the year, it continued to record new milestones. In October 2021, Renault India announced that the compact SUV boasts a best-in-segment fuel efficiency of 20.5kpl, as per the ICAT Testing Certification, superbly complementing its refined and punchy 1.0-litre, three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine. Boasting a power output of 100PS and a torque of 160Nm, the engine has been tested for reliability and longevity.
Renault’s breakthrough SUV added yet another feather to its cap in February 2022 when it received a 4-star safety rating for adult occupant safety by Global NCAP. The rating underscored the fact that safety is of paramount importance for Renault and all its products meet and exceed the requisite safety standards set by the Indian government. Commenting on the achievement, Venkatram Mamillapalle, Country CEO and Managing Director, Renault India, said, “The 4-star rating by GNCAP reiterates our commitment to bringing technologically advanced products which are safe yet trendy.”
A year filled with milestones culminated with yet another achievement as the Renault Kiger made it to the Top 5 finalists of the prestigious World Car of The Year (WCOTY) awards in February 2022, continuing to win hearts of customers in India and across the world.
The Kiger has been well accepted by the customers on the back of the strong value proposition it offers with its distinctive design, smart features and performance. It has strengthened its position as one of the volume drivers for Renault – which recently crossed the 8 lakh-unit sales milestone in India – along with the Kwid and Triber. A look back at the year of achievements gives the Kiger, its customers, and Renault India, plenty of reasons to rejoice, but the vehicle that set out to radically alter the dynamics in the B-SUV segment is only getting started.
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