Expect more Kwid variants as Renault looks to sustain momentum

The Renault Kwid has received a stirring response in India since its launch in September 2015. The small car has clocked 1,07,033 units in sales and has caught on like few others in what is a hard segment to crack. With an aim to sustain the momentum, the company plans to launch a new variant of the Kwid every year.

“Customers needn’t wait for years but only months to see something new on the Kwid. You will see some excitement on a sustained basis… I also look forward to seeing sustained life-cycle management,” company CEO and managing director Sumit Sawhney told Autocar India.

Such has been the success of the Kwid that Renault looks set to cross the five percent market share in India within this year; a target it had set itself to achieve in 2017. Additionally, it aims to break into the top three manufacturers by volume in India by 2023.

The company believes that apart from having a promising product, an attractive cost of ownership, greater fuel efficiency and right offering for every type of customer in the market is key to achieving higher volumes.

“I don’t think that there’s a fixed formula for this (to expand sales further). I think it’s more of a cumulative effect. There are a few things that can create an impact; a great product, which delivers on cost of ownership, fuel efficiency and low maintenance cost. You need to have the right offering in your portfolio, where there’s something for everybody,” Sawhney said.

The carmaker first launched the Kwid with a frugal 0.8-litre engine and within 11 months of its launch, added a 1.0-litre variant to its line-up. It has just introduced an automatic gearbox on the 1.0-litre variant in order to expand its appeal.

“You need to offer more to the customer, and definitely, the dealership network plays a very important role,” Sawhney said, adding that the company had around 205 outlets in the beginning of this year, and aims to close the year at 270 outlets by the end of December.

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