Renault Kwid AMT coming soon; teased

It looks like French carmaker Renault is finally set to roll out the new AMT (automated manual transmission) variant of its popular hatchback the Kwid in India. In what appears to be a hint at the arrival of the Kwid AMT, Renault has teased an image of the rotary gear shifter on social media.

The Kwid AMT has been in news since the launch of the hatchback in the country. The Kwid, the hatchback with an SUV-stance, which changed the game for Renault in India, is likely to get the AMT box as early as November. While it is not clear which of the variants of the Kwid will get AMT, reports on the web suggest that the 1.0 litre Kwid is likely to get AMT. The Kwid is currently available in 1.0 litre and 800cc variants. The Kwid AMT could be called Kwid Easy-R AT in India and is expected to get 5-speed automated manual transmission, that is used in the Duster AMT. The Kwid AMT is likely to be offered on top-end variants of the model.

The Kwid was originally launched in September 2015 with 799cc three-cylinder petrol motor under the hood, which is tuned to churn out 53bhp and a peak torque of 72Nm with a five-speed manual gearbox. Renault introduced 1.0 litre engine later that can churn out 67hp of power and 91Nm of torque.

While the Kwid will remain the same as the current model in its styling and design in the AMT avatar, it is likely to see a price tag of Rs. 30,000 higher than the current model. The Kwid currently has been priced starting at Rs 2.64 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).

The waiting period of the current Kwid stands at six months, depending on the variant and the city. The car recorded 56,028 unit sales in the first half of FY 2016-17 and the Kwid has been witnessing a successful run, with over 1.65 lakh bookings.