The Renault Kwid has just crossed the four-lakh sales milestone in India. Launched in 2015, the Renault Kwid was the first model to be based on the CMF-A platform and was specifically designed here in India, for India. Since then, in the small car segment, the Kwid has been a formidable opponent to Maruti Suzuki’s S-Presso with its great value-for-money quotient.
- Renault Kwid was designed and developed in India in 2015
- Gets two petrol engine options under its hood
- The Kwid received a major facelift back in 2019
Renault Kwid: a brief history
The Kwid was first launched in September 2015 at an aggressive starting price of just Rs 2.57 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi), thanks to as much as 98 percent localisation right from the start. At launch, it was only offered with the 800cc engine, following it up with the 1.0-litre engine a year later.
The current facelift on the Kwid was rolled out in 2019, marking a significant step up in exterior design, interior and features. In fact, India has always been a focus market for the Kwid as even after two years, the facelifted model is only on sale in India and is yet to be introduced in markets abroad. Earlier in September this year, to mark the brand’s 10th anniversary in India, Renault updated the Kwid with more safety features and new colour options.
We at Autocar India have special memories with the Renault Kwid when we drove it from Delhi to Paris in 2017 in a monumental cross-continental drive as we took the budget hatchback to Renault’s home country in France.
Renault Kwid: powertrain, trims and features
As mentioned, the Kwid is offered with two petrol engine options under its hood – there’s a 54hp, 0.8-litre engine and a larger 68hp, 1.0-litre petrol unit. Both engines are offered with a 5-speed manual gearbox, though the larger 1.0-litre unit is also offered with an AMT option.
The Kwid is offered in five trims – RXE, RXL, RXT, RXT(O) and Climber (O). Top-spec trims of the Kwid are offered with features such as LED DRLs, 8.0-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, 14-inch wheels, roof rails, manual AC, rear centre armrest, dual airbags, ABS with EBD, rear parking sensors and more.
Renault Kwid: price and rivals
Prices for the Renault Kwid currently range between Rs 4.11 lakh-5.56 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). It rivals the Maruti Suzuki S-Presso and even entry-level variants of the newly launched Maruti Celerio.
Dipan Sur
Viraaj Bhatnagar
Glenn Noronha
Dhruv Dhaka
