French car-maker Renault launched the entry-level hatchback the Kwid with new 1.0 litre engine in India on Aug. 22 (Monday). The Kwid 1.0 litre gets a price tag of Rs. 22,000 more than the current Kwid in the market. Renault said the new Kwid 1.0 litre is already on its way to the respective dealerships in the country and the company will start the delivery of the model soon.

Highlights of Renault Kwid 1.0 litre launch event

12.49 p.m. IST: Renault Kwid 1.0 litre launch event concludes.

12. 37 p.m. IST: Coming to the most crucial part of the launch, the Kwid 1.0 litre gets a price tag starting at Rs. 3.83 lakh. The top-end trim of the new Kwid is priced at Rs. 3.96 lakh.

Kwid 1.0 litre RXT—Rs. 3.83 lakh

Kwid 1.0 litre RXT (O)—Rs. 3.96 lakh

12. 34 p.m. IST: Renault Kwid 1.0 litre delivery will begin shortly.

12. 42 p.m. IST: The Kwid 1.0 litre will be offered in RXT and RXT (O)

12. 32 p.m. IST: Kwid 1.0 litre engine spec:

999cc engine/66bhp/91Nm

Best-in-class-segment power with ratio: 97ps/ton

12. 29 p.m. IST: More than 70 percent opted for the top-end trim of the Kwid.

12.24 p. m IST: 50 percent of the customers of Kwid are first time buyers.

12. 21 p.m. IST: Renault Kwid has garnered 1.65 lakh bookings in India so far.

12. 19 p.m. IST: Rafael Treguer takes over the stage from Sumit Sawhney.

12. 18 p.m. IST: Renault has sold over 80,000 units of Kwid in India so far.

12.17 p.m. IST: Renault will launch the Kwid in Nepal in September.

12.16 p.m. IST: By the end of 2016, Renault is looking to have 270 outlets in India, says Sumit Sawhney.

12. 15 p.m IST: Sumit Sawhney, Contry CEO and Managing Director on stage for an opening address.

12. 13 p.m. IST: Renault Kwid 1.0 litre Sce launch event begins.

12. 21 p.m. IST: Renault is set to pull the wraps off the much-awaited 1.0 litre avatar of the Kwid. Stay tuned.

12.06 p.m. IST: The bookings for the new Kwid 1.0 litre are open in the country for a down-payment of Rs. 10,000.

12.00 p.m. IST: While the Kwid 1.0 litre will now be offered with manual transmission, Renault is expected to launch the automated manual transmission (AMT) avatar of the hatchback during the festive season this year.

11.54 a.m. IST: The Kwid with 1.0 litre engine under the hood will make its entry into the market in few minutes from now.

11.49 a.m. IST: The safety in the new Kwid 1.0 litre will be taken care of by remote keyless entry with central locking and driver side airbag, which will be offered as optional.

11.40 a.m. IST: Although the Kwid 1.0 litre will look identical to the current model, it does feature minor changes like dual-tone OVRMs, 'SCe' badge at the rear and new body decals.

Update: 11.31 a.m. IST: The Kwid 1.0 litre will be available in the RXT and RXT (O) variants.

Finally, the day has arrived. The much-awaited powerful avatar of popular hatchback Kwid from the house of Renault is set to break the cover in India on Aug. 22.

The new Kwid 1.0 litre launch event will begin at 12.00 p.m.

Talking about the new avatar of the Kwid, the entry-level hatchback by and large remains untouched in its style and design and as we know already, the biggest change is under the hood. The Kwid 1.0 litre packs 999cc 3-cylinder DOHC engine that is tuned to churn out 67hp of power and 91Nm of torque. Renault also promises to deliver a fuel efficiency of 23.01 kmpl in the new Kwid. The Kwid's current model delivers 25.17 kmpl.

The bookings for the new Kwid 1.0 litre are open in the country and the company is expected to start the delivery of the model in early September. Renault is said to be working towards bringing down the waiting period of the current Kwid, which commands a waiting period of three months. The stretched waiting period of the current Kwid is also likely to affect the Kwid 1.0 litre.

Coming to the pricing of the model, the Kwid 1.0 litre is rumoured to get a price tag of Rs. 4.3 lakh. Renault will also launch the automated manual transmission (AMT) avatar of the Kwid in India during the festive season this year.

Stay tuned to get the live updates from the launch floor of the Renault Kwid 1.0 litre.