Next gen Triber, Kiger and a localised EV is in the works for Renault.
09 Jan 2024 | 26198 Views | By Rivan RS, Autocar India
Renault India has announced an ambitious plan to bring 5 new models to the country by 2027, as part of its Renaulution 2024 initiative. This underlines the French carmaker’s commitment to the Indian market; Renault considers the country one of four key hubs for the brand outside of Europe. The ...
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Renault India has announced an ambitious plan to bring 5 new models to the country by 2027, as part of its Renaulution 2024 initiative. This underlines the French carmaker’s commitment to the Indian market; Renault considers the country one of four key hubs for the brand outside of Europe. The company’s new initiative also sees some revisions and additions made to the Triber, Kiger and Kwid ranges, institute a new customer experience strategy, and renew its used car program, which is called Renew.
Renault has confirmed that the new Triber and Kiger will be among the five new launches, but has not yet mentioned a specific timeline for when they’ll arrive or what form the updates will take. Renault’s compact seven-seater has been on sale for over four years and is due some sort of renewal as the launch of a rival from Maruti Suzuki is just around the corner. Meanwhile, the Kiger arrived just under two years ago, but it could do with a refresh in the face of increasing competition in the compact SUV space – the Kia Sonet facelift is due in just a week. In addition, the Kiger is also taking some heat from the likes of the Tata Punch and Hyundai Exter at the more affordable end of the compact SUV segment.
While the brand has not outright confirmed it at this time, aside from saying a B+ SUV and a C SUV are coming, Renault is expected to bring the new Duster to the market, along with the seven-seat version based on the Bigster concept. Revealed recently with a Dacia badge, the all-new Duster is based on Renault-Nissan Alliance’s modular CMF-B platform, and retains quite a lot of the previous model’s muscular design and upright stance. While the styling will have some differences when it arrives in India late next year with a Renault badge, expect this 4.3-metre long SUV to look similar to the unveiled model.
The fifth Renault model will be a localised all-electric car, likely to be the Kwid EV we've reported on before. The Kwid EV will rival the likes of the Tiago EV and the Citroen eC3 and is expected to be priced under Rs 10 lakh as Renault is looking to have over 85-90 percent localisation of parts.
As part of the Renaulution 2024 initiative, the company has also updated its current India portfolio with new features, and a rationalisation of variants on offer. The Kwid Climber variant is now available with a total of five dual-tone exterior colour options, and the RXL(O) trim gets an 8-inch infotainment touchscreen and a 5-speed AMT option. Renault claims that this makes the Kwid RXL(O) the most affordable hatchback with a touchscreen and the most affordable automatic car in India. The budget hatchback is only available with a 68hp, 1.0-litre petrol engine that has manual and AMT gearbox options. Interestingly, prices of select variants have come down by up to Rs 20,000.
For the Triber, Renault has added features such as a driver’s seat armrest, powered ORVMs, a 7-inch driver’s display, a wireless charger, LED cabin lights and the option of a new black exterior colour. The Triber RXT variant now comes with a rear camera and a rear wiper, while the RXL variant gets dedicated AC control and vents for the second and third rows of seats. Renault also offers a PM2.5 air filter for the Triber and all variants now feature a rear seatbelt reminder. The Triber continues with the 72hp, 1.0-litre petrol engine that gets manual and AMT options. Prices for the lower RXE and RXL variants have reduced by up to Rs 34,000.
Depending on the variant, the Kiger is more affordable than before – the base RXE model costs a significant Rs 50,000 less than before. Features added to Renault’s Kiger include puddle lamps on the auto-folding powered ORVMs, an auto-diming inside rear view mirror, LED cabin lights and red brake callipers for the turbo-petrol variants. The Kiger RXT(O) now gets features such as automatic climate control and powered ORVMs, while the RXZ trim now gets cruise control. As before, the Kiger has the 72hp, 1.0-litre petrol and 100hp, 1.0-litre turbo-petrol engine options, each with their respective manual and auto options.