Renault 7-seater RBC MPV launching in July 2019

Renault India has aggressive expansion plans for the Indian market for the coming few years. Renault is working on launching a few new models in the Indian market that will increase the sales volume of the French car manufacturer in India. In an interview with Venkatram Mamillapalle, CEO, Renault India, MoneyControl reports that Renault is planning to launch two all-new products in the Indian market soon.

The manufacturer has been testing the 7-seater MPV, which is based on the Renault Kwid platform for a long time on the Indian roads. It is codenamed as RBC, and it will be the first all-new product that will be launched in the Indian market. In the same interview, Renault India’s new CEO confirmed that the new product, which is most likely to be the RBC would launch in July this year. Renault will launch another all-new product next year, but the exact timeframe is not known.

The Renault RBC is based on a heavily modified version of the CMF-A platform that underpins the Renault Kwid. It will be similar to the Datsun Go Plus, and the overall length will remain below 4meters. However, the RBC will be more premium than the Datsun Go Plus and will offer many more features too. However, it will be one of the most affordable 7-seater vehicles in the market

The RBC is expected to get design inspired by the Kwid hatchback. It will get a rugged body with adequate ground clearance for an aggressive stance. Renault is expected to offer a similar front-end like the Kwid with deep creases on the bonnet of the vehicle. On the inside, the top-end version of the RBC is expected to get features like touchscreen infotainment just like the Kwid. The car will also get other safety features like rear parking sensors, speed warning, seatbelt reminder, ABS and driver-side airbag as standard features. All these features will soon become mandatory in all the vehicles in the Indian market soon.

The engine specifications of the RBC are not confirmed yet. The vehicle is likely to be powered by an all-new 1.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine or a 1.2-litre petrol engine with an optional AMT automatic gearbox. With the BS-VI emission compliance norms setting in next year, Renault will skip offering a diesel engine with the upcoming MPV.

Renault is likely to price the RBC at around Rs. 5.5 lakh, which will make it a value-for-money product but looking at the sales figure of the Datsun Go Plus, the production version of the RBC is not expected to be a high volume product in the market. Apart from the RBC, Renault will also launch the facelifted version of the Duster and Kwid. The upcoming Duster has already been caught testing on the Indian roads.

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