[PrideRed]

Originally Posted by wadewilson

Just got an sms today from the Renault Dimapur. Quoting it exactly as it is -

"Dear all our valuable clients, we are highly grateful to you all for your patients & kindness that you all are still waiting for your most awaited vehicle RENAULT KWID. Dear all plz bear with us for few more days as our plant is unable to despatch your vehicles due to heavy flood in Tamilnadu & Andhra Pradesh. - RENAULT DIMAPUR"

Apart from the grammatical mistakes, I guess this means that delivery of my car might be postponed to next week or God knows when. Just wanted to let you guys know. Fingers crossed and prayers prayed to God for a December delivery.

Incessant rains in Chennai have caused havoc and even the auto mobile manufacturers are not spared. Renault,Hyundai and Ford, all have stopped manufacturing. Delay is inevitable. Given that it is already December, and Renault would offer no discounts Kwid, I would recommend you to buy the Kwid in January, unless Kwid is immediate necessity.

[wadewilson]

Originally Posted by PrideRed

.. I would recommend you to buy the Kwid in January, unless Kwid is immediate necessity.

Tbh, the Kwid isn't an immediate necessity as our trusty ol'Gypsy should be able to tide me through the winter. The car should be easily able to drive through the treacherous terrain leading to the University for the few days that are left before the university closes for the winter

Plus, truthfully speaking, after waiting 3 months for the car, this ordeal has taught me patience (which I didn't have a lot of earlier). I'm ready to see it through to the end until the car is in my grasp and I post an ownership review on our forum.

[jinojohnt]

Originally Posted by SandyX

The recent report of Renault Kwid bookings crossing the 70,000 mark in 2 months is an out-and-out example how popular this car has become.

If Renault is able to provide immediate delivery for all these bookings, that would mean around 35K sales in a month, which is impressive, considering that Alto sales is around 23K per month.

[PrideRed]

With Chennai floods affecting Renault production plant, delay is inevitable.
The Service advisor told me that production has begun 2 days back. While booking I was given January 2016 as delivery time, but now it looks as if i won't get one before February or even March.I will wait as long as the prices don't get increased.

[SandyX]

300kms into ownership, things are getting smoother for the Kwid with mileage at 22.4kmpl (town+highway). Gears shift through much less friction & vibrations are less intrusive. Still needs some gas to get it moving though.

Visited the dealer last day for some accessory work & 3M coat which were promptly done. Casually informed them about engine noise & vibration which they promised will be gone by first service. Hopefully. They have also started this one-day workshop for Kwid owners.

Got seat covers installed & floor lining done. This cover design looks Crysis inspired.


Also, came across this. NEO WHEELS FOR THE NEW 2015 RENAULT KWID

13", 14" & 15" sizes to come. So NEO & Plati wheels can be expected soon.


http://www.neowheels.com/news.php?news_id=11

[wadewilson]

Originally Posted by PrideRed

The Service advisor told me that production has begun 2 days back.

That's a great relief hearing that production has restarted at the plant. I was searching all over the net for any info on that. I called up the manager of Renault Dimapur today and he said that a shipment of KWID's are arriving in a week. Hoping and praying that mine is arriving with that batch

[Aditya]

Renault is planning to increase production of the Kwid by 50% over the coming months. According to vendors associated with the company, Renault is looking to roll out 8,000- 10,000 units of the car every month by February-March. At present, it is producing 5,000-6,000 units per month.

Link to Team-BHP News Article

[i74js]

Now that's India - love has no boundaries and we can see people switching from Japan to France.

Kwid alone can provide the much needed opportunity to the French manufacturer to ramp up its Indian operations. Also with an established entry level product, new dealers would be interested in establishing outlets in tier II and tier III cities.

Renault can also quickly expand through authorized after sales outlets wherever dealerships are not possible. This will give comfort to buyers that atleast the repair and maintenance of their Renault cars is possible without traveling long distances.

It's is now on MSIL and Hyundai to find a counter product to challenge Renault at this price point. I hope Renault would hold on to this price for a year or so to ensure that sufficient number of Kwids are rolling on Indian roads. This will also create a FNG service market without the support and intervention of Renault (provided they start offering OTC spares), as this is a India spec product with nearly 98% localization and thus importing parts may not be possible for third party suppliers, though I can see possibility of OEM suppliers providing support to the FNGs without Renault badge for A.S.S

Good luck Renault ! you have arrived in India.

[shobhit.shri]

Renault should be appreciated for making an effort, a rather successful one, to provide basic mobility to an average Indian. I doubt anyone else tried it after 80's Maruti and a botched effort by Tatas in the form of Nano.

They have really hit the proverbial fortune at the bottom of pyramid

[VeluM]

Originally Posted by shobhit.shri

Renault should be appreciated for making an effort, a rather successful one, to provide basic mobility to an average Indian. I doubt anyone else tried it after 80's Maruti and a botched effort by Tatas in the form of Nano.

They have really hit the proverbial fortune at the bottom of pyramid

There is no shortage of appreciation for the Kwid on TBHP or otherwise, from being on its way to the TBHP Car of the Year 2015 and the number of bookings despite a long waiting period.

The effort will fall flat on its face if Renault doesn't ramp up their Service network. So many cars sold will mean a lot more cars for their limited Service centres to support, and poor support will quickly turn the experience sour.

[Rajeevraj]

The 1.0 Kwid coming next year will have ABS and Airbags as standard. Good news.

Our source has confirmed that the 2016 Renault Kwid is set to become powerful and safer. The Kwid will be getting a 1.0-litre petrol engine and the vehicle will be offered with ABS and dual airbags. Renault is currently testing the model for durability and the launch announcement can be expected in the first half of next year.

Source: Motorbeam

[deltheking]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

The 1.0 Kwid coming next year will have ABS and Airbags as standard. Good news.




Source: Motorbeam

That is good news but the AMT should be launched fast. I think the Kwid AMT version if priced good will be a big sales success especially in the bigger cities. It should be priced closer to the Alto AMT version so that it can take on Maruti aggressively. Also, they should still work on their small dealership network especially if they want to be a volume player in this segment.

[RSR]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

The 1.0 Kwid coming next year will have ABS and Airbags as standard. Good news.

That's surely great news!

Along with the larger 1.0 litre motor and very welcome 2 airbags + ABS, I request Renault to:

-> Replace those stupid fixed seatbelts at the rear with proper retractable ones.

-> Provide height-adjustable neck restraints (headrests), at least for the front seats.

-> Provide better looking internally adjustable ORVMs and a manual day-night IRVM.

-> Provide a loud seatbelt warning chime (apart from the visual one on the instrument cluster), at least for the driver.

-> Include a digital tachometer and 14" wheels (with 4 wheel lugs, if possible) as standard features on the 1.0 litre variants.

-> Provide better all-round insulation, including covering up the exposed metal inside the boot.

-> Functional roof rails (like on the Grand i10, but larger in size), reverse parking sensors and DRLs (even non-LED ones, like on the Lodgy & EcoSport) would be nice-to-have features on the higher variants.

It would not cost much to implement the above changes. If Renault can do all or even most of the above, then I'm in!

Renault have already shaken up the 800cc segment for good, and are now looking to step up the game in a big way in the 1000cc one! It's time for Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai to wake up from their deep slumber and respond to this serious threat from the new K(w)id on the block.

As they say, God bless competition!

[itzvicky201]

If I were to compare Maruti Alto, Eon with Kwid, the cost cutting factor is evident. Managed to do a TD yesterday. My findings as below:

1. Interiors - Nice. Glove box will not hold on for the age. Could not close the glove box in the demo car. Checked with the sales personnel, he was showing me how to press on the right side of glove box cover to close it properly, so that it can age well. Liked the speedometer. Digital and nice. Somehow, I feel Alto and Eon have a better dashboard.

2. Seats - Extremely comfortable. Lovely headrest. Much much better than Alto and Eon. Yes, the seat belts of the rear seat can be better placed.

3. Drive - Nope. Noisy engine. TD car had a 4766 ODO meter reading and looked roughly used in cities. Brakes were poor and not assuring. Revving up the engine was not smooth with noise very well heard in the cabin. At a point, you feel it is the Tata Nano (initial release) which you are driving.

4. Exteriors - Loved it. The car looks much better than its competitors and you do not feel short changed.

As said earlier, Tata made a grave mistake marketing Nano as "World's cheapest car". Thankfully, Renault did'nt do it. But it has a car which is much better than Nano for sure.

If I am in the market for an A segment car, my vote goes to :

Alto ->Eon -> Kwid -> Nano.

My vote for Renault Kwid as COY 2015 still remains intact irrespective of my un-inspiring drive yesterday.

[RSR]

The K(w)id Renault is all set to embark on its maiden sea voyage! Zambia seems to be the first stop, I'm sure many more countries will follow.

The Zambian market seems to be dominated by second-hand imported cars (refurbished or otherwise). Renault's Kwid will give Zambians the choice of being able to buy a brand new car with manufacturer warranty for the price of a used imported car whose complete history may never be known to the Zambian buyer:

Both Renault, our partners and ourselves, are extremely positive that the Kwid will be an instant hit in the Zambian market. With the Renault Kwid, we are looking to take on the used car market head-on. Local price inclusive of all taxes including VAT will be starting from US $15,900.00. This will make the Kwid one of the cheapest new vehicles in Zambia,” Mulla stated in response to a press query.

“Consumers will have an opportunity to purchase a brand new car with a warranty period and after sales back up whereas the used car option can be seen as [a] lottery with the condition of the vehicle being unknown. The Kwid also come with an infotainment system, an impressive ground clearance and a very attractive design.”

Source: The Post (Zambia) via Indianautosblog