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According to a media report, Renault is planning to launch a new compact SUV (codenamed: HBC) in India sometime next year.



Like the upcoming Triber, the HBC is expected to share its underpinnings with the Kwid. It is expected to be positioned between the Triber and Duster in Renault's line up.

In addition to the Triber and HBC, Renault is also working on facelift versions of the Kwid and Duster. These cars are likely to be launched later this year.

With two new products and two updates, Renault aims to double its annual sales volume in India to 1,50,000 units. The company is looking to achieve break-even as per their mid-term plan.

Source: LiveMint

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I hope they've got a suitable powertrain option for these vehicles. IMO, 1.0 L petrol is a joke in this price point - Unless it's turbo charged and produces >90 HP.

While these products may help Renault get back on track, I feel sad about Nissan who is yet to come up with something strong for their India line-up.

Hoping to see Nissan badge versions of the Renault MPV and the compact SUV.

To truly differentiate the HBC from its competitor's, Renault needs to have a variant with a basic all wheel drive system and shorter 1st and 2nd gear ratios.

But from what some birdies say, it's very difficult to execute an AWD model on the KWID platform as it's not designed to take a rear drive output. Thus, incorporating an AWD would mean a change of rear floor, which will suck up huge amounts of money, with possibly low sales.

Our suggestion: why doesn't Renault incorporate some sort of a limited slip front differential? This will not cost a huge amount of money, but the dynamic capability of the car in slithery situations will definitely be better compared to a 2WD non-limited slip variant. Users in our hill stations will find it particularly useful.
And it'll provide Renault sales department with a genuine sales USP.

Fiat Europe , I believe, has a variant of the Panda, called the CityCross kitted out with a electronic limited slip differential in addition to the regular Panda AWD variant.

Maybe it's time Renault India gave a serious thought to this aspect. The Indian "cross hatch" / "pseudo SUV" market needs a genuine differentiator. Why not try Renault ?

I do not think incorporating AWD drive in any form is viable and neither relevant to this segment. Sub 4M SUVs are typically replacing C segment sedans.

Point being consumer is just going to be using it in the city with very occasional highway runs. Even Tata has given this a miss in the Harrier citing lack of demand. And Im sure the sales composition of AWD in something like a Jeep Compass too would be minuscule.

And Renault know what they need to do. A well built car, with basic safety equipment and some gimmicks like a large touch screen system. Also Renault has seen how the Duster did so well in its initial years, the ride and suspension suited our bad roads like no other. So if they manage to get this aspect right in the new compact SUV, then that could be a USP as well, since all other compact SUVs have more car like ride and suspension behaviours.

Renault could also provide AMT transmission in most variants, which could help its case since competition offers AT in limited options.

Renault needs to get rid of its "cheap" mentality for its Indian cars. Even our two homegrown manufacturers are offering top-quality products now, but Renault is stuck with outdated cars (Duster) or outdated platforms (Captur). Won't complain about the Kwid as I think it's fair for the segment.

But it really worries me how Renault has quality cars worldwide, but just refuses to launch them here.

They have a new boss who is talking a lot about quality. Let's see.

Renualt shares a bit more of its product plans.

HBC- CUV

- 1.0-litre, three-cylinder turbo petrol engine.will be available only in petrol.


MPV - TRIBER

- The Triber will initially be launched with just one engine option – the same 1-litre BR10 petrol motor but with a slight bump up in power

- A turbocharged version of the BR10 and an automatic option (most likely an AMT) will be added to the Triber range by mid-2020

- Expects to sell ~ 60000 units annually ( full year 2020)

Compact sedan (code: LBA)

2019 Duster:

Updated ( ?) for the first-gen Duster which is sold in India


Link

Renault Subcompact Crossover makes debut disguised as Clio.








Link

Wow! This might be the cynic in me, talking, but I say this is overtly ambitious. How do they intend to compete with Ertiga (Marazzo might be half-a-segment or full-segment above)? By just pricing it lower?

They'd really need to pull a rabbit out of the hat to realize ~5000 units/month. For that, they'll have to:

1. Arrange a sweet engine-transmission marriage and demonstrate engineering prowess
2. Load up features - safety-wise, utility-wise and gimmickry-wise
3. Offer excellent ride quality and driveability.

If they can pull it off, who is to stop them from succeeding.

Renault Confirms Sub-4M SUV For India; To Rival Tata Nexon, Hyundai Venue

Read more at: https://gaadiwaadi.com/renault-confi...hyundai-venue/


Could be a potential saviour for Renault, if priced right.

What new does it offer that a 5-seater version of Triber doesn't (with a better engine, of course)? Or rather, what does the Triber lack that calls for another model around the same segment? If the image shown is an indication of how different it is going to be from the Triber, it simply doesn't make sense. I agree it works big time for Maruti-Suzuki, but does Renault have a case for such aggression? Will it not be much easier for them to just offer a better equipped Adventure/Active/Sport version of Triber than bring in a new model! Even Datsun Go comes with ESP now.

The news may be true, but the image shown is a Kwid's face fused on a Seat Arona body with a rear from a different car. No way a sub-4m car can look this good.

Better equipped Adventure/Active/Sport version of Triber does make sense but since Renault is aiming for high sales figures (60000 units annually), they would want to keep it different from Triber as the competition is really tough in this segment, so one would not want their potential customers to think that its just a modified version of Triber.

While the rendering does look really nice, I expect the front of HBC to be similar to Triber (which is not bad to look at, IMO), but with changes to the rear from C pillar onwards, to give it an SUV stance. It is imperative that they improve their game on interiors. please:

For a successful product, they need to get the basics right (power/torque figures, ride quality, drivability, NVH) and to keep the cost in check they might wanna move away from what competition is doing (sunroof, connected car features and other non-essential gimmicks).

Rumour: Renault HBC compact SUV to launch in 2021

According to a media report, Renault could launch a new compact SUV (codenamed: HBC) in 2021.



Reports suggest that the HBC is likely to be based on the CMF-A+ platform. However, unlike the Triber, which uses the same platform, the HBC is expected to be a 5-seater.

The Renault HBC could be powered by a 1.0-litre, turbocharged petrol engine with a choice of a 5-speed manual or AMT gearbox. It has been reported that the HBC may not get a diesel engine option.

In addition to other sub-4 meter SUVs, the Renault HBC is expected to compete with the Maruti Vitara Brezza along with Toyota's version of the same and Kia's upcoming compact SUV. Datsun is also likely to offer a similar product based on the same platform as the HBC.

Source: Autocar India

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