Upcoming Renault Triber-based HBC compact SUV rendered

Renault has already launched the Triber compact MPV, Duster facelift and the Kwid facelift in India this year. Both the Triber and the Kwid facelift have been received well in the market and now the French automaker plans to launch another small vehicle on our shores. Codenames the HBC, this new car will be a sub-4 meter SUV that will rival the likes of the Hyundai Venue, Maruti Vitara Brezza, Tata Nexon, Ford EcoSport and the Mahindra XUV300 among others. While the official images of the HBC are not out yet, the render below by IAB gives an idea of how the vehicle could turn out to be.

Going by how this rendered Renault HBC looks, a lot of people will love the design and style of the vehicle. The front end of the car looks like a more matured version of the recently facelifted Kwid hatchback. The side profile of the car looks quite stylish and it rides on multispoke alloys. The black body cladding around the vehicle gives it a butch appearance. The most striking feature in its design will be the split headlamp setup which will make it stand out in the sub-4 meter SUV segment. Currently, only the Hyundai Venue sorts a split headlamp setup in the segment.

To let you know, the HBC will be built on the CMF-A platform which it will share with the likes of the Kwid hatchback and the Triber compact MPV. The CMF-A platform has been designed for low-cost cars meant for emerging markets. As is the case with the Kwid and Triber, a competitive price tag for the HBC is a given. The Renault HBC is likely to sport a sub-Rs. 6 lakh price tag. It’ll be a five-seater SUV, and will pack in a petrol engine. A diesel motor will not be offered as Renault will stop making diesel-engine cars for the Indian market after the Bharat Stage 6 (BS6) norms kick in force the 1st of April, 2020.  into force from next year.

Powering it will be the BS-VI 1.0-litre dual VVT turbocharged three-cylinder petrol engine which delivers 72 PS at 6,250 rpm and 96 Nm of torque at 3,500 rpm. The engine will come mated to a 5-speed MT or a 5-speed AMT. As for its launch details, the Renault HBC SUV will be launched in India early next year and is expected to be showcased at the upcoming 2020 Indian Auto Expo. The sub-4 meter SUV segment is already jam-packed with fantastic options and is led by the Hyundai Venue right now. With Renault making all the right moves of late, this one could turn out to be a pretty successful product if aspects like marketing, cabin, build quality, and pricing are kept in check.