[deetjohn]

This is shock pricing by Renault.

And the Kwid can affect not just A segment, but B segment too with this sticker price. The Renault dealers will be one happy lot. And nothing like a hit car to increase the dealership count. Everyone will want a piece of this success.

My only worry is the build. Not that others in the segments fare better here. But with a price of 2.6 L, it looks like Renault don't have much room and could go the Datsun way. I just so wish Renault had invested a bit more on the build and charged the customers for a better car. The KWiD will easily sell for 3.5 L too, the glorious design demands it.

Eagerly waiting for the review that matters and a TD.

[dhanushs]

Pricing is just spot on! I sincerely hope the car is as reliable as the logan, and as serviceable as the marutis.

Renault has a great looking car, great features, and a great price - now even other manufactures will know what else it takes to beat a maruti in its home ground.

[headbanger]

May be I am going against the tide here. But I don't see Kwid annihilating Alto/Wagon-R et al. Call it the "herd mentality" or "brand value"- there are people who purchase these cars with eyes closed- torque/engine cc probably being the last factors of consideration. Add to that Maruti's reach in every nook and corner of country, the next few months of monthly sales will tell the real picture. Make no mistake, I am all for the new product and hoping that Kwid challenges MSIL but seeing the way Dzire just nudged every other competitor, I can not help myself to avoid seeing the same story in this case. Hyundai, Tata and Honda were fighting amongst themselves while Dzire just continued in its glory counting 20k every month. Let's see how it goes.

[Cuatro]

What a pricing act by Renault!
I currently own a Nano which is of-late pretty unreliable with frequent clutch, accelerator and alternator belt issues. I am talking about a 4 year old Nano here.
If KWID can be reliable(as proved by Logan and Duster), fuel efficient(as much as a Nano like it says in the initial reports) and cost less to maintain(just as much as Maruti maintenance), it could replace the Nano as a serious option as the price is too close to a top end Nano. It seems to hold a potential to wipe out Nano's market as well.

[Nempuguru]

Very challenging strategy from Renault indeed. Competitive pricing. Now the ball is on others court (Maruti, Hyundai, Tata) either offer more discount or come up with better version of A and B segment cars, not just cosmetic changes.

Through Kwid, with proper sales/service network Renault can expand to tier 2 and tier 3 cities across India.

[SandyX]

Price list/on-road at TVS Renault, Calicut, KL.

[sandeepmdas]

Fantastic management by Renault, kudos!

PM Narendra Modi should consider giving IAS or IRS to the entire Renault India management and appoint them in the finance ministry. A classic example of how deliver this much by taking this little in a country where the mantra is (or should I say was) just the opposite.

Originally Posted by headbanger

May be I am going against the tide here... there are people who purchase these cars with eyes closed- torque/engine cc probably being the last factors of consideration.

Totally agree, I know many an Alto owner who are virtually clueless about the term "torque", and an Eon owner who teasingly replied when I asked her how much CC the engine has: "CC? it's for bikes!".

Ignorance is bliss.

And I think no car can easily replace the Wagon R which has several USPs. Easy ingress/egress for the elderly and those with bad knees is the number one factor IMO. In fact, an engineer who is in Ford Chennai has recently bought a WR Stingray for his parents only because of this reason.

[1lokesh]

Am I the only one having a feeling that the price seems to be too good to be true? Not taking away the credit where it belongs - seems to be quite a car at this price. My only reservation is with so much of cost cutting (which I assume has gone into arriving at this price point) how would be long term performance. European car manufacturers are not really known for compromising their profit margins. It seems here there was a serious compromise accepted by Renault management, with a strategy to gain market share in India. They seem to be on track with Duster, and this will definitely prove to be a great boost.

I have to accept that the price point has made me curious to visit the showroom and get a test drive. Even though I am not out to buy a new car, but at this price point I might just buy it since a car for my better half has been always at the back of my mind. Good move, Renault!

[Vigkey]

So yes, Renault is giving a Swift sized car at the price of an Alto. I agree Renault has positively shocked all of us with its pricing. I am also sure that Renault will manage to convert a LOT of its initial bookings to purchases with this wonderful pricing. May be, Renault will start seeing a lot of crowd after the Duster days. All said, this car is not even close to dethrone the Alto - the brand value of Alto and the reach of Maruti is way beyond what Renault can manage in the next 10 years. But yes, will Kwid definitely dent the Eon if not beat it in sales. Nano, IMO will be the most affected car.

All good, but this does not excite me one bit. Why? The pricing. I hope everyone agree with me that Renault is also here to do business and profit will be among their top priorities. If they are selling a big car at such low prices, there are only 2 reasons to justify this:

1. Renault has extremely compromised on the quality and build even compared to the poor quality levels seen in the Alto.
2. Renault has built the car with the similar or better quality levels compared to Alto but seriously compromised on their profit numbers - in other words the Altos and Eons are over-charging and return HUGE profits to their manufacturers

I'd be really happy if it is the latter. But, there is nothing to prove it true. Especially seeing that the Kwid which is a big car, weighs just ~650 kg. They have used a lot more of plastic in the engine bay and lost ~12kg by simply reducing the number of nuts and bolts. Now, all this brings me to these questions.

• How many of those nuts and bolts were structurally important??
• How many of those plastic parts are going to be prematurely damaged??
• Has Renault compromised on the key structural elements?? - We have already seen the acclaimed Grand i10 - unanimously praised by all for the build quality - fail pathetically in the crash tests. I dont even want to bring in Datsun here.

With all these questions, I am quite skeptical about Kwid as a car. No doubts, as a package it is extremely VFM and VFM sells in India. I will keep a close watch on the crash test results of this car (if any NCAP does it soon) and pass a final judgement

[MaheshY1]

The pricing is so impressive that it could make it an impulsive buy for many.

First car buyers may still want the "Maruti Reliability", whatever that means, but as a second beater car, it couldn't get more stylish than this without burning a hole in the pockets.

This is some serious mouth watering stuff. The design alone got me drooling, and pricing is too good to be true.

After a bunch of overpriced product launches, it's the season of sane pricing.

And those who think this is their effort to dethrone the Alto, Renault knows it's not possible in the foreseeable future. They don't want the cake, they just want a piece of it. But when the cake is so big, a piece is easily big enough to feed the French family.

Off topic: And as far as the use of plastic parts goes, who might have expected a pistol made from plastic. But Glock did it, by judiciously choosing what can or can't be made of plastic. People called it a toy gun. And that turned out to be THE most reliable 9mm pistol used throughout US law enforcement for its light weight and reliability. Back when it launched, it could push out more than what the competitors fired in a lifetime before its FIRST misfire.

[SandyX]

Price list/on-road at Khivraj Pearl, Chennai, TN.

via twitter

[rajneeesh]

This is the best example of disruptive launch I have seen so far in the Indian Auto industry. A good looking product that has high aspirational value, available at absolutely shocking price.

With the Kwid, Renault has taken the fight to the MSIL Camp. While it may not dethrone the Alto, (MSIL Sales and Service Network), but it sure will get a lot of people to the Renault Showrooms. This car also looks as if it can take on cars like the Wagon R and comes with a rather big boot. People is smaller cities will love it for its practicality, good room, fuel efficiency and feature list even as the Metros will like to have it for the SUV inspired looks . It sure will make a good second car in the family for a lot of people who want a good looking practical product with a low sticker price.

This is what the Nano should have been in the first place.

As per Renault press releases, this is an introductory price. I sure hope that they hold the price for atleast first 6 months or 1 lakh customers and not do what Ford did with the EcoSport.

[Shanksta]

Originally Posted by SandyX

Price list/on-road at Khivraj Pearl, Chennai, TN.

Oh my god!! That is a absolutely VFM on-road price in Chennai.

Now time to convince dad that we need a second car. Don't even see the need to buy the four lower variants after looking at the OTR for the RXT(o). Totally ₹10k more for an airbag, not bad but passenger side airbag also would have made a difference along with ABS.

[dkaile]

For nearly the price of a Bullet GT you can get a car this GOOD!!?? Quite a fantastic pricing. Yes, I know, the dealer/service network ain't there and the engine has yet to prove it's reliability. But with a 3K Cr investment, Renault has surely got this thing right. Looking like a big game changer to me...

[Torino]

Fantastic pricing. When Renault first unveiled the Kwid in May 2015 and announced that it will be priced less than 4lacs, I thought the prices will start at 3.99lacs, like how usually manufacturers do. Renault should make good TV and newspaper ads for the Kwid to effectively reach potential buyers. This will definitely make the competitors to rethink their product strategy. Renault has done a brilliant job in offering only essential features and the variants are well differentiated. Renault should soon launch the AMT version.

Kudos to the design team for coming up with such an incredible exterior design with small dimensions. Some pictures to understand the size comparison.

Pics: source