Renault Kwid entry-level hatchback revealed

Slated to go on sale in the second half of 2015 at a scarcely believable price of between three and four lakhs, this is nothing short of Renault’s big shot at the mainstream. And it's strategy is pretty clear; the French company knows it can't compete with the likes of Maruti and Hyundai in terms of traditional virtues like a strong brand and a widespread dealer network, so Renault has done the next best thing; it's designed and built a car that is all but irresistible.

So while the competition concentrates on compact cars, Renault has upped the ante. Why it asks, deliver merely a hatchback, when for similar money you can give car buyers a crossover? And that's a winning argument, if there ever was one.

So the Kwid has a high bonnet, a high waistline and a high ground clearance of 180mm. And as crossovers go, it's an attractive one. The detailing up front is pure Renault, and there are plenty of Duster-like clues visible here. Renault's smiling grille blends nicely with the very technical-looking two-element headlights, the matte grille works really well and Renault designers have also got a layered 3D-look going on. The bumper, for example, protrudes far out from the grille, the fogs are set in deep air inlets and like the duster, the Kwid has sharply designed squared off bumpers. What also work really well are the ridges on the bonnet, that give this baby Duster a slightly menacing look. The Kwid also gets cladding on the wheelarches, a protruding wheel arch at the rear like on the Duster and a nice kink in that shoulder line, which adds to the bulging muscular rear. Signs of this being a low-cost car are, however, visible if you look closely. There's only a single wiper, the mirrors look like they are non adjustable, the wheels have only three locating nuts and the doors don't even get pull-type handles.

The Kwid is built on an all-new variable platform. Based on the company’s highly flexible CMF-A architecture, Renault's new compact is expected to be high on space, despite measuring only 3.68 meters in length. This is because it can use vertical space intelligently, just as the Wagon R does. So you can expect the space in the rear to be more than sufficient.

The dashboard of the new Renault Kwid appears to be robustly built and slightly unconventional. A bit sparse to look at, the Kwid's interiors however seem to be equipped with everything you really need in a modern-day car. The instrument panel, for example is digital and there's what appears to be a 6-inch touchscreen taking pride of place on the pod-like centre console. So you can
expect telephone links of all sorts.

Renault says it will source upto 98 percent of the car from India and that the plant will build other variants on this platform for export too. The motor, which is an 800cc, three-cylinder petrol (Codename: BR08) will feature twin-cams and four-valves-per-cylinder and thanks to the advanced design, both efficiency and power should be excellent. Additionally, future engine options could include a more powerful 1.0-litre petrol motor (Codename: BR10) and the big news is that it will also come with the option of an automated manual transmission (AMT), pitting it directly against the new AMT-fitted Alto K10.

Renault Kwid photo gallery