Renault to update Kwid range with electric version; will it make it to India?

Kwid helped Renault India to graduate from a newcomer to a force to reckon with in India. The model turned out to be a runaway success after it entered the Indian market in September 2015. Renault kept updating the Kwid range, with the latest addition being the Kwid climber.

Now, the Kwid is reportedly getting an electric version. However, the electric version is destined for Chinese market (by 2019), The Nikkei reported.

The Kwid electric will be manufactured as a low-cost EV for urban dwellers targeting residents of big cities such as Beijing and Shanghai. "The idea is to design a compact car -- in the segment A class -- for urban dwellers who only drive short distances", Nissan CEO Hiroto Saikawa told the publication. (Nissan and Renault are alliance partners).

Nissan is planning to use a common platform and outsource production to a local carmaker to keep the price down to around 1.5 million yen (approximately Rs 8.47 lakh)-- half the cost of the all-electric Nissan Leaf hatchback in China.

The platform will be shared with Nissan's alliance members Renault and Mitsubishi Motors. The vehicle will be made in China by an affiliate of Dongfeng Motor Group, Nissan's partner in a carmaking joint venture.

Renualt-Nissan's electric car push in China came after government's generous subsidies made country the world's largest market for electric cars. This has also prompted Honda Motor to launch an electric car in China in 2018, while Toyota Motor has spoken about possible EV production there.

Similarly, a group of ministers has been directed to ensure that by 2030 almost all vehicles in India are powered by electricity to cut oil imports and pollution, according to a government statement in March citing Power Minister Piyush Goyal. The government of India has also reduced the tax rate of EVs in the newly introduced GST. So let's not rule out Kwid electric for India just yet.