[RSR]

The tyre size is 155/80 R13, and it happens to be the same size as that on cars such as the i10 (not Grand), A-Star, Indica V2 (LS trim level only), Micra Active (XL & XV) & Celerio (LXi & LDi).

175/70 R13 is a nice upgrade for this size, as long as the wheels are at least 4.5" in width.

More upgrade options are available in 14" size - 165/70 R14, 175/65 R14 and 185/60 R14. The only issue is that finding 14" wheels (either steel or alloy) with 3 lug holes may not be easy. They will have to be made specifically for the Kwid and upcoming Redi-Go.

[motorworks]

That's a great job by Renault! Looks very different from the current hatches and has a very strong road presence. Personally, I'm not a fan of cars which are made to "look butch", but I think that's what India wants! People here's don't give too much thought about ORVMs, door handles etc. if you sum up what the market wants today--

"Butch looks, Yes! Touch screen fancy Gizmo, Yes! Black wheel cladding a, Yes! Airbags and ABS, don't care!"

Not really taking away Renault's effort, but sort of sad to see what a lot of folks give importance to these days. I would anyday take a "OK" looking car with strong fundamentals and safety kit instead of any of these unnecessary features.

[4x4addict]

Originally Posted by sun_king

ABS improves the braking efficiency by a factor that is inversely proportional to your braking skills.

Let us say you are doing about 80 kmph on the highway on rainy day. Suddenly villager darts into your lane from nowhere. No skill is is going to stop you car. ABS will reduce your stopping distance in wet conditions.

[swiftnfurious]

1. Guess nobody noticed the digital speedo while looking at the superb exterior.

2. I kind of feel the interior quality also quite acceptable for the segment. Not sure the images are deceiving me.

3. I also think I saw keyless entry embedded into the key.

Downer is the wheels / tyres. How long would Renault take to put a similar grill on Duster to improve the looks??

[deetjohn]

The 'quid' too doesn't get 'retractable seat belts' at the rear like the Go. Renault seems to have picked all fancy stuff like touchscreen, big digital gauge Ranbir Kapoor etc instead of essentials.

The kerb weight for such a big car is also scary. I quite like the Kwid from these pictures, but I think Renault have gone to town with cost cutting in the name of frugality. Hope the build doesn't go the Datsun way. But, I am not very hopeful.

They should have targeted for a higher segment like B instead of A and given us a car with better build.

[RavenAvi]

Exterior Walkaround video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vb41pPIvXI4

Interior Walkthrough video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80RAxUDTRuw

IAB

[SandyX]

Renault Kwid Bookings open at INR 25,000: launch in September

Renault, the French automaker will launch the much-awaited Renault Kwid hatchback in the Indian car market in September, 2015. Renault dealers have already started taking pre-orders for the hatchback at a token amount of INR 25,000, which is refundable.

Read on here @Oncars.in.

I'm not sure about the 25k booking amount, but mine worked out for much less.

[deltheking]

Any news of an AMT version ? I dont think the manual version will be a great threat to Maruti. On the other hand , an AMT version priced reasonably can do very well and give Renault a toehold in the small car segment .

[Fx14]

Originally Posted by deltheking

Any news of an AMT version ? I dont think the manual version will be a great threat to Maruti. On the other hand , an AMT version priced reasonably can do very well and give Renault a toehold in the small car segment .

Apparently an AMT version as well as a more powerful 1L engine variant would be launched later.

Reading between the lines, they would be priced much above the 3-4 Lakhs range being quoted for the initial launch of the 0.8L engine variant.

[DCEite]

I don't remember where did i read it, but the AMT version of this hatchback does not have an option of manual mode.

Thats a big bummer if you ask me. The manual mode in AMT cars is one of the important selling point of AMT transmission, because it gives the driver flexibility when in need of more control.

Sad though if this car doesn't have provision for manual mode. :-(

Originally Posted by deltheking

Any news of an AMT version ? I dont think the manual version will be a great threat to Maruti. On the other hand , an AMT version priced reasonably can do very well and give Renault a toehold in the small car segment .

Originally Posted by Fx14

Apparently an AMT version as well as a more powerful 1L engine variant would be launched later.

Reading between the lines, they would be priced much above the 3-4 Lakhs range being quoted for the initial launch of the 0.8L engine variant.

[sasi@8689]

Every time i see the pics of the car, i wonder why renault had decided to bring it in the entry-level A segment. I feel that it would have been a wonderful concept if they had targeted B or B+ segments. That design calls for one size bigger exterior with some 185 section 15" wheels. Give it the default 1.5 motor, all the default comfort features, two airbags and abs and what we have is one good looking macho hatchback to compete with the likes of swifts, polos etc. It would have given them a bit more flexibility with pricing as well compared to the fiercely competitive A segment which runs on wafer thin margins where economies of scale become all the more important.

Nevertheless, cheers to renault to show that an entry level hatchback can also look this good

[i74js]

Kwid is better positioned for A segment and so are the plans for the time being. The French-Japanese duo have tried out Micra/Pulse and Go for B segment buyers.

A segment was never touch by them in past which generates sales volume of nearly 35-40 K cars per month (Alto alone is 20 K+, which is quite bland and has no character compared to other segments)

Kwid brings in that x-factor or character in this segment and I am sure if the car is pitched right, it can bring in much required numbers for Renault in India.

Since this is a A segment product, Renault should
- increase it presence in tier II and semi-urban areas where nearly 60% of Alto sales happen.
- Multiple dealers / choice to customer both at the point of sale and after sales is required, MSIL has offered this and created pseudo competition among dealers, which is also good for better customer experience
- Quick turn around for vehicles at service centers, since the entry level segment sales are mostly with the first time buyers where generally the families have only 1 car, any stagnation at service center results in customer frustration and that should not happen, which is quite true for MSIL cars

Cheers to Renault !

[kilireddy0]

It's a cool looking car, congratulations on making the reservation. SandyX Do you know the variants available in the kwid or will you be choosing it a later point once the variants and prices are launched. If so will you be still be having the advantage of paying the booking advance earlier ?

[igp_79]

The kwid is a great looking micro croosover.. something like a design revelation.
However the success of an A segment vehicle is in no small measure due to the presence of handy sales and service.

The first time buyer is practical and convenience is high on his list of priorities...Read an ASS in the neighbourhood.

As a second or 3rd car the owners don't have the time to take it to a service centre that is an hour or two away. A run-about is accorded that much importance only.

Hyundai and Maruti are the kings of the A-segment because they have a formidable service network.

So is the kwid going to get shot down though it is an extremely competent product?

[kilireddy0]

Originally Posted by igp_79

Hyundai and Maruti are the kings of the A-segment because they have a formidable service network.

Isn't it the dilemma of egg first or the chicken first. Do you open a lot of showrooms first or build competent products first. Doing both simultaneously would help in an ideal situation. Maruti and Hyundai had a slew of continuously good products and expanded network as the demand went up, and now as you mention because of this they are being the first choice as they are in every nook and corner with decent products on offer.

I think with a row of continuously good products, good after sales and value other manufactures might try and copy their success. Thought it is an extremely tough up hill task and extremely time consuming and a few mistakes is all its going to take to be back at square one. Somewhere on this forum a few days ago I read that Nissan/Renault India is running like a headless chicken. I can't put it much better words. They want success but are making some costly blunders, the huge amount of stock they have and are not really doing anything to push it out into the market instead they layoff huge number of employees, as a fellow bhpian mentioned they should be giving discounts and be clearing the stock.

I wish them the best and sincerely hope their tides turn around with kwid. But I am highly skeptical and hope they prove me wrong.