Scoop: Renault Kwid 1.0-litre launch in 2016, AMT to follow

French automaker Renault seems to have hit the bull's eye with Kwid, the budget SUV hatchback. As predicted by IBT, the new small-but-big car has lived up to its billing as a game-changer for the company in the Indian motor industry following the route of the SUV Duster, a great success in the domestic market, going by its sales.

The Kwid hatchback, launched in September with 799-cc 3-cylinder petrol motor, has registered an unbelievable response of over 50,000 bookings so far. Intriguingly, Renault is not resting on its laurels. The automaker has a couple of surprises up its sleeves, and not surprisingly, is planning to keep its new offering, Kwid, fresh. Following the successful debut, a powerful version of the Kwid hatchback with 1.0-litre engine is in the offing.

Sources IBTimes India is privy to confirm that the 1.0-litre Kwid from the house of Renault will make its Indian market debut in 2016. But that is not all. Renault Kwid will also get an AMT gearbox, to follow the launch of 1.0-litre Kwid. Earlier, we reported that the launch of Renault Duster's Facelift and Automatic are also on the cards. In all probability, the launch of the new Kwid avatars could take place in the second quarter, the timing being apt to mark the the first anniversary of the Kwid hatchback. Renault has no plan for diesel Kwid as of now.

Offered in four variants — Standard, RxE, RxL and RxT — currently under the hood, Renault Kwid is powered by a 799cc 3-cylinder petrol motor, which is tuned to churn out 54PS and a peak torque of 72Nm with a 5-speed manual gearbox. The Kwid is the first car to be built on the CMF-A platform and offers the best-in-class mileage at 25.17kmpl. The Kwid is currently on sale with a price tag starting at Rs 2.56 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).