[Nagesh Bhatt]

Outstanding & exhaustive review Vid6639, as always.

You will force people to look at things they wouldn't have done in their lifetime as to what to look for in a car ! Comparisons are also neutral that makes TBHP such a revered assembly!

Now, having said that i am interested to know the psyche of the " Indian Consumer" here when " Kwid " is finally launched. The "25k bookings" fig is as encouraging as it can get for Renault who not so long ago set the charts on fire with the "Duster" & are turning out to be quick learners of the Indian mind.

From an overtly single minded" Kitna Deti Hai " mindset, it would be worthwhile to know how versatile the Indian consumer can be & the future will unfold that for us with the "Kwid" launch.

With this entry, Renault has not only matched MUL at their own game but taken a step ahead in " design " where they always had an edge over MUL. Hence it is now all the more important to know how the consumer thinks & perceives, as in, what more does he want o make up his mind ? Or will he continues to go for the safe bet( not to be confused for Safety ). Only time will tell !

There are also two beautiful launches in the pipeline, " The Abarth Twins ", that will test the mettle of not "Fiat", but of the Indian car buyer in general.

Way to go, Renault & Fiat !!!

[kashif_baig]

Originally Posted by i_see

Good to know Renault cares about customers. In all my previous experiences regarding contacting customer care ( not just automotive, but in general )this has been the promptest response i have got till date.
At the end of all this mess, I AM A HAPPY CUSTOMER thanks to Renault

Brings to mind the old adage,"A Satisfied Customer Is The Best Advertisement".

Now if only Renault can fire Ranbir Kapoor** and invest that money in more training & improving customer experiences, then they will rapidly climb up the market share charts.

** Probably fire the chaps in Marketing who hired O&M who in turn picked Ranbir Kapoor

[Nagesh Bhatt]

Originally Posted by Nagesh Bhatt

Outstanding & exhaustive review Vid6639, as always.

You will force people to look at things they wouldn't have done in their lifetime as to what to look for in a car ! Comparisons are also neutral that makes TBHP such a revered assembly!

Now, having said that i am interested to know the psyche of the " Indian Consumer" here when " Kwid " is finally launched. The "25k bookings" fig is as encouraging as it can get for Renault who not so long ago set the charts on fire with the "Duster" & are turning out to be quick learners of the Indian mind.

From an overtly single minded" Kitna Deti Hai " mindset, it would be worthwhile to know how versatile the Indian consumer can be & the future will unfold that for us with the "Kwid" launch.

With this entry, Renault has not only matched MUL at their own game but taken a step ahead in " design " where they always had an edge over MUL. Hence it is now all the more important to know how the consumer thinks & perceives, as in, what more does he want o make up his mind ? Or will he continues to go for the safe bet( not to be confused for Safety ). Only time will tell !

There are also two beautiful launches in the pipeline, " The Abarth Twins ", that will test the mettle of not "Fiat", but of the Indian car buyer in general.

Way to go, Renault & Fiat !!!

In my eagerness to post a comment on the review completely slipped in my mind to mention the outstanding efforts of S2!!! in the making of this review, complete with stunning pics of everything about the Kwid.

Kudos to S2!!!

[Tgo]

I think the Kwid is an excellent product by Renault. I would be happy seeing it do numbers lesser than the Altos or the Swifts and it will... Its success is not to be judged when comparing it with the sales figures of these dated models bought by people who play safe and lap up offerings from the Maruti stable going by the word of mouth reviews. I definitely believe that this a product which would clearly differentiate the consumers. I see a lot of first time buyers going in for it in the future, buyers who don't go by what their uncles say about their fuss free Alto 800 of 15 years.

Excellent review by Team BHP.

I hope Renault launches the 1000 cc engine with the AMT soon. We want to see the Kwid share garage space with the two dusters soon.

I also think that they should provide accessories which can be added on to make it a much complete car. For eg: ORVMs that are adjustable from the inside.

[RitanRex]

My dealership in Noida doesn't even have a TD available yet. They do have the car but it can't be driven because 'it hasn't got the registration from the authorities' yet. This is the same reason why deliveries have been halted as well.
Shocking state of affairs really from Renault. I booked the car with the Rs 5000 amount way back in September, even before the prices were officially launched. Yet I'm told that there's no clear window of when the car will be available. I can of course book the car from the Delhi dealerships but that means forgoing my jump start and looking at the delivery of the car by Jan 2016!
Thankfully, I was able to forsee such delays on part of Renault and am going to cancel my booking (100% refundable, I was told) after having booked the Alto K10. I just wonder how many other customers Renault has already lost this way.

[carwatcher]

Completely agree with your thoughts but would like to mention that reliable and fuss free ownership is THE most important ingredients for success in this segment where this would be the only car in the house.
Wouldn't there be some reason that why are there only two successful companies (Maruti & Hyundai) in this segment and both are very very well known for being treating customer as a king.
While we can take their (Maruti/Hyundai) success 'for granted' but ask the owners of Tata, Chevrolet and Renault/Nissan/Datsun owners how it feels to be ill treated by the service centres for even a small problem. Since last few years, if not decades they are still in "definitely trying to improve" mode.
I always have that sword hanging above my head that it would take almost a month if I were to get a replacement key for my Linea T-Jet, same goes for other parts too. Not everyone would like to live under such a situation especially if owning a car for the first time and that too after buying it by extending the budget, comprising on other priorities to compensate for incremental fuel expenses while upgrading from a two-wheeler.
If you dig this thread, we have general perception that the Renault service is not only below par, its actually horrible. I strongly feel that Renault have to change that perception asap especially if they claim that this car is the result of their thorough understanding of the Indian market and Indian customer psyche. If they fail, I would blame them 100% and customer 0%.

Originally Posted by Nagesh Bhatt

Hence it is now all the more important to know how the consumer thinks & perceives, as in, what more does he want o make up his mind ? Or will he continues to go for the safe bet( not to be confused for Safety ). Only time will tell !

There are also two beautiful launches in the pipeline, " The Abarth Twins ", that will test the mettle of not "Fiat", but of the Indian car buyer in general.

Way to go, Renault & Fiat !!!

With the launch of Abarth you have pointed that the mettle of Indian car buyer would be tested, but I would say that the mettle of Indian car Enthusiast would be tested.
But I still can't put a figure as to what should be the no. of bookings and monthly sales that would be called a success. What is the benchmark ? Is it total sales figures of Fiat or VW GT Twins which are not available AFAIK.

[AGwagon]

Originally Posted by wadewilson

Just drove 63 kms. to the neighboring city with the same agenda "inquiring about the booking" (there's no Renault dealer in my town). But when I reached, they told me that the first batch of cars would be arriving in January only

Originally Posted by Sherlocked

Today, I along with my friend went to test drive the Kwid. But that couldn't happen as apparently their TD car has gone to their service center.
Upon inquiring that why it needed to visit the workshop so soon we were told that the tyre got punctured, that's why!

My friend and I were laughing all along while returning that how lame their excusess can get!!
There must have been some mechanical issue with the car for sure or maybe a body work repair but I suspect the former.

Originally Posted by RitanRex

My dealership in Noida doesn't even have a TD available yet. They do have the car but it can't be driven because 'it hasn't got the registration from the authorities' yet. This is the same reason why deliveries have been halted as well.
Shocking state of affairs really from Renault. I booked the car with the Rs 5000 amount way back in September, even before the prices were officially launched. Yet I'm told that there's no clear window of when the car will be available. I can of course book the car from the Delhi dealerships but that means forgoing my jump start and looking at the delivery of the car by Jan 2016!
Thankfully, I was able to forsee such delays on part of Renault and am going to cancel my booking (100% refundable, I was told) after having booked the Alto K10. I just wonder how many other customers Renault has already lost this way.

I do feel that there is a potentially large problem which has been unearthed. Renault will certainly not risk loosing this initial momentum for a small niggle. Can anyone shed some light? Mods any ideas what it could be? Can anyone confirm if they have got the delivery or have been promised a date yet?

[PrideRed]

Originally Posted by AGwagon

I do feel that there is a potentially large problem which has been unearthed. Renault will certainly not risk loosing this initial momentum for a small niggle. Can anyone shed some light? Mods any ideas what it could be? Can anyone confirm if they have got the delivery or have been promised a date yet?

I checked with Trident Bangalore, everything is going fine as per them. They haven't received any notice as such from Renault. All deliveries would be made as per promised date is what I was told.
Moreover in Mangalore first lot of cars have already been delivered.

[SandyX]

Same here at Renault Calicut. Temp registration for TD cars were delayed but test drives started today. First batch of ~10 RXLs already arrived at the dealership & the remaining ~24 expected to reach in two days. Deliveries are planned to begin from 26th. They haven't received any instructions from Renault to halt delivery. This is what the SA had to say after i sent him this thread link.

Great review as always! Hope someone gets to compare the 800cc candidates side by side to get a more complete picture.

[chandra1]

Originally Posted by RitanRex

My dealership in Noida doesn't even have a TD available yet. ..... I can of course book the car from the Delhi dealerships but that means forgoing my jump start and looking at the delivery of the car by Jan 2016!

The scene in Delhi is no different. I also booked even before their booking app was officially launched but the dealership doesn't have even the TC car yet. And they don't have the slightest idea about delivery dates. I am also losing patience. Looks like I am going to have to pay a visit to Maruti.

[asingh1977]

Seems like Renault has bitten off more than they can chew.

[naveen0111]

I booked with East Delhi Renault and I have a different experience. Mr Aman and Mr Neeraj Mishra have been very cooperative. 2 test drives on their test drive vehicle - without much waiting!
Did a PDI yesterday and am all set to pick up my car on Wednesday. Will keep you posted on the delivery experience!

[hybridpetrol]

Originally Posted by chandra1

I also booked even before their booking app was officially launched but the dealership doesn't have even the TC car yet. And they don't have the slightest idea about delivery dates. I am also losing patience. Looks like I am going to have to pay a visit to Maruti.

This is the pity of the whole situation.
There are a number of customers, who really have their budgets less than 5L, but since they do not find any competent products, they stretch their budgets by 1 or 2 lakhs to buy a reasonable car.
To buy a low budget car in A segment, the customer's options are very limited to
a) Nano (City only car, built only for that purpose. A single car owner with many purposes will find many of his boxes not ticked),
b) Eon (A complete small car, but priced in B1 segment price range)
c) Alto (A complete car, priced reasonably)
For a general buyer, it is Alto which makes most sense.
But many of us find Alto incompetent, and want more bang for the buck.

Alto can accommodate 4 people, but not in comfort. Travel a 100 km, and it gets more and more difficult to sit. Interiors are claustrophobic. Everything in this car is bare basic. (It is somehow similar to watching a movie, sitting in the first row of a large theatre. After 3 hours you have watched your favorite movie, but you didn't get any movie-going experience out of it, instead you only get headache).

All of us want something more from our car. We want to go beyond our Alto for the same price. A slightly bigger car, with features that are seen in B1/B2 segments.

This is what Renault promised us, with the Kwid. A car that is even slightly longer than the B1 Celerio, some basic safety features, better mileage, an AVN system that is not even available in the Swift (USP!).

However, looks like they will not fulfill their promises, due to their own constraints with production lines, dealer network, support system etc. Just a mobile app alone will not sell.
At least arrange a number of test drive cars, and keep them in shape to attract prospective buyers. For already booked ones, give a proper date, and instill some confidence. Customers will wait, if they know you will deliver them for sure at least by January. If the dealers give vague responses (like don't know what will happen for their own futures) you will only help increase the Alto sales unwillingly.

[chandra1]

Originally Posted by naveen0111

I booked with East Delhi Renault and I have a different experience. Mr Aman and Mr Neeraj Mishra have been very cooperative. 2 test drives on their test drive vehicle - without much waiting!
Did a PDI yesterday and am all set to pick up my car on Wednesday. Will keep you posted on the delivery experience!

WOW! When had you done the booking?

[miharbe]

A little late to the party but Excellent Review Vid and S2! Astonishing amount of detail in this small car!

Simply put for me if I were looking out for a car in this segment it would be the Kwid without a second thought. To think that Renault could have priced this at 2.99 lacs (just to achieve the under 3 lac price target) and still this would have felt well priced. Honestly they have done a fairly decent job on the pricing and on this car. Somehow the initial pricing of the car sticks on people's minds and subsequent price rises or cuts dont really matter so much from a perception point of view.

I remember reading in the Autocar magazine some months ago that while the rotary slot is a clear indicator of an AMT switch somewhere in the future the manual mode could be provided via paddles shifters which would again make it first in a car below 20 lacs!

Really looking forward to that variant, only hope is Renault thinks it prudent to offer it with ABS atleast. Somehow I feel ABS is more useful in the city and is a feature I would choose if I had to choose only one safety feature on an in-city runabout.

Hope Renault can achieve the sales numbers they have targeted. They deserve it for the effort with the Kwid and the killer pricing they have launched it at!