Renault Kwid sedan (Maruti Dzire-rival) to launch in 2021

Renault is working to increase its market share in India. As per the official strategy, Renault is expected to double the current sales of vehicles to 150,000 units per year by 2022. To meet the target, Renault is working to launch new cars in the market. Later this year, Renault will launch an all-new MPV that will be known as the Triber while facelift versions of the Kwid and Duster are expected to be launched in the market too. Later, an all-new compact SUV and a Kwid-based sedan are also expected to be launched in the market.

The upcoming sedan has been codenamed as the LBA and it will take on the likes of Maruti Suzuki Dzire, Ford Aspire, Hyundai Xcent and the Tata Tigor. Renault was earlier working on the same LBA project but shelved it a few months back. The sedan will get the same CMF-A underpinning as the Kwid and will get a slightly longer wheelbase.

The same CMF-A platform will also underpin the upcoming compact SUV that will take on the likes of Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Tata Nexon, Ford EcoSport and upcoming Hyundai Venue. The platform will be modified heavily to fit the upcoming SUV and the sedan.

In an interview to ACI, Venkatram Mamillapalle hinted on the revival of the LBA project in India. However, he has not put a date on the launch of the car. It is likely to be launched by 2021 or 2022 as the project is still in its initial stages and will take a few years before the production vehicle takes shape.

Since it will be based on the Kwid, the sedan will directly take on the likes of Tata Tigor and will be priced lower than the likes of Maruti Suzuki Dzire. However, details like engine and transmission are not known at the moment.

India will get the BS-VI emission norms in 2020 and the upcoming LBA will get the BS-VI compliant engine options only. We can expect a 1.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine that will also power the upcoming compact SUV in the Indian market. However, due to the stringent emission norms, there will be no diesel engine option in the line-up.

Renault currently offers the Kwid, Duster and the Captur in the Indian market. Even though the Kwid and Duster sold quite well in the market initially, due to the stiff competition and no substantial updates for both the vehicles, both the vehicles have come down on the sales chart. Soon the new Duster will be launched in the market but it will be different from the all-new Duster that has been launched in the international markets. Instead, it will rather be a heavy facelifted version of the current Duster, which is available in the Indian market.