Renault Triber teased: To sit in between Kwid and Duster

Renault India is gearing up for the launch of the Triber – a sub-4 meter outdoorsy, monocoque bodied car based on the Kwid’s CMF-A platform. The French automaker has released the first teaser of the Triber, and from the looks of it, the vehicle looks more like a compact SUV than a MPV. It’s likely that the Renault Triber is a compact crossover with butch styling, and versatile seating. Leaked information about the Triber suggests that it will have three rows of seats with the last row getting a segment-first removable option. This will enhance the versatility of the vehicle, making it suitable for both passengers and luggage as the situation demands. The Triber is likely to be a petrol-only offering.

The engine and gearboxes are likely to be borrowed from the Kwid 1.0. The motor in question is a 1 liter-3 cylinder naturally aspirated unit with 67 Bhp of peak power and 91 Nm of peak torque. There could be two gearboxes options: a 5 speed manual and a 5 speed automated manual (AMT). The Renault Triber is likely to straddle the space between the Kwid and the Duster in terms of price and positioning. This is a large gap that has to be filled quickly by Renault. This gap has been in existence ever since Renault stopped selling badge engineered Nissan cars such as the Pulse hatchback and the Scala sedan. Expect prices of the Triber to start from around Rs. 5 lakhs for the base variant, with the top-end trim priced at around Rs. 6.5 lakhs.

At these prices points, the compact crossover will be a lot cheaper than sub-4 meter compact SUVs, and may be able to carve a niche out for itself. More details on the vehicle itself, its positioning and technical attributes will be available in a couple of days from now, when Renault officially launches it in India. For now, we do know that the Triber will be aimed at younger buyers, will have funky styling and also plenty of ground clearance and butch looks. The Kwid is ageing and so is the Duster. Other Renault cars sold in India – the Lodgy MPV and the Captur compact SUV – are doing pretty poorly in terms of sales. So, a lot is riding on the Triber, and Renault would be hoping that its next big launch will bring in plenty of volumes for the brand. Watch this space as we bring you live updates from the Triber’s launch event on the 19th of June, 2019.