Renault sold nearly 61,000 Kwid in India since launch; now commands waiting period of up to 4 months

The sales of the Kwid is said to have touched nearly 61,000 units in India since its launch in September and the small hatchback from French automaker Renault has garnered 1.25 lakh bookings.

The Kwid is a runaway success in the country and currently has a waiting period of up to four months. A report of the Hindu states, Renault, which is targeting monthly production of 10,000 with the third shift at the factory near Oragadam, Chennai, has delivered nearly 61,000 units of the Kwid. With the success of the Kwid, the annual sales of Renault are expected to be more than double this year.

According to the latest report, the Kwid will also exceed the safety norms in India by 2017. Renault is currently said to be working on the safety aspects of the Kwid and would meet all safety requirement laid out by the government by 2017. The cars in India will have to have to comply with the new safety norms by October 2017.

The Kwid, the small car with SUV-stance, scored zero stars in a crash test conducted by safety watchdog Global New Car Assessment Programme (Global NCAP). The Renault Kwid was tested in three versions, including one with airbags, but each was rated with zero stars for adult safety.

In India, the 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.