Renault’s new MPV based on the Kwid has been going round the rumor mill for some time now. Now, however, the upcoming mini MPV has been caught testing in Pune. The spyshots show a heavily camouflaged test mule going through drive test rounds. The spyshots have been captured in Pune and give a glimpse of how the actual car would come out like.
The new mini MPV will go heads on with the Datsun Go+, which had received a facelift previous month. The Kwid MPV will be based on the CMF-A platform, which is the one that underpins the Kwid also. As seen in the spyshots, the Kwid MPV seems to be a relatively compact offering. Though it looks tall, that could mainly be because of the apparent roof rails the car features. A part of the front grille is visible in the spyshot which resembles the unit found on the Kwid hatchback. The MPV will probably be in the same size league as its arch rival, the Datsun G0+.
Talking about the interiors, the spyshots don’t give much of peek into them but some of the things are apparent. The seats on the Kwid MPV will come with integrated headrests, and there is no automatic day/night mirror on the car. These things reflect that Renault has developed the car with economical pricing in mind. There is no lowdown on the features yet but a touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity could be expected.
Other things that the car will be equipped with are reverse camera, manual air-conditioning and all four power windows among others. It will be offered as a 5+2 seater like the Datsun Go+ rather than a proper 7 seater, due to budget and space limitations. However, it could prove to be an excellent alternative to A-segment hatchbacks if Renault packages it properly and gives it an affordable start price. It could also ride on the success Kwid name as it is quite popular entry level hatchback in India.
As for the powertrain, there is no official data yet but expect it to be powered by the same 1.0-litre engine that is found on the Kwid. On the Kwid, the 1.0 litre engine produces 67 Bhp of power and 91 Nm of torque. Renault would probably tweak the engine a bit before launching the final model. As for the pricing, there is no official data out yet but expect Renault to place the Kwid MPV around the Rs 4 lakh mark and top out at Rs 6.5 lakh. Launching will happen next year as the vehicle is still in its testing phase.
Source
