Buoyed by the success of the new Kwid hatchback in India, French automaker Renault is now looking to expand its reach to other markets outside India. While Renault has already confirmed that the Kwid will soon be making its debut in Brazil, an ET Auto now says that the small hatchback will also be exported to four new markets soon.
The publication quoting Sumit Sawhney, MD & CEO of Renault India, revealed that the Kwid will also be exported to right-hand drive markets like Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan. Renault has already announced their plant to assemble the Kwid in Brazil. The other exports markets are likely to get the Kwid as CBU route (completely built unit).
The Brazilian version of the Kwid has been given more local flavours adapted by Renault Technology Americas, which is one of the seven Renault strategic engineering centres across the world. Renault, which is looking to replicate the success of the Kwid in other markets, will commence the production of the hatchback in Brazil from September 2016. The Brazilian model will be powered by the same 800cc three cylinder, but will be engineered to run on both petrol and ethanol fuels. The engine is estimated to make 58bhp when running on ethanol.
In India, the Kwid, which made its market entry in September last year, has been earning tremendous response from the auto lovers and has received over 1.25 lakh bookings so far. Currently, the India-spec Kwid is powered by a 799cc three-cylinder petrol motor, which is tuned to churn out 53bhp at 5,678rpm and a peak torque of 72Nm at 4,386rpm, mated to a five-speed manual gearbox. It boasts fuel efficiency of 25.17kmpl and rivals Maruti Suzuki Alto and Hyundai Eon in India.
