NEW DELHI: Until last year, Renault was a marginal player in India’s passenger cars, but not anymore. With Kwid, Renault’s entry-level hatchback that competes with Maruti’s Alto, its marketshare has jumped from 0.16% last year to 5.33% at the end of June.
Now, there will be bunch of small cars based on the Kwid platform that will be launched this month. “There can be 4-5 models on the platform,” says Sumit Sawhney, MD and CEO of Renault India. “We are not a one car company,” Sawhney said.
A litre engine Kwid will compete with the WagonR while an automatic version will take on the Alto AMT. A mini-sedan and a mini-SUV based on the same platform are also in the works. Renault will also sell these Kwids in Brazil, Sri Lanka, South Africa and Nepal.
The mini-car segment, created by Maruti Suzuki in 1983 with the launch of Maruti 800, constitutes 27% of car sales in the country. Before Kwid’s entry in September Maruti had 85% share in mini cars. That’s down to 71%, with Kwid grabbing 19% of the pie.
“Renault is missing on a lot of buyers who want a slightly more powerful engine... they go for other cars,” said Anil Sharma, analyst, IHS World Markets Automotive.
{{/usCountry}}“Renault is missing on a lot of buyers who want a slightly more powerful engine... they go for other cars,” said Anil Sharma, analyst, IHS World Markets Automotive.
{{/usCountry}}Had it not been for the Kwid, mini-car sales — of 542,636 units — would have contracted in 2015-16. Renault sold 41,204 Kwids last fiscal. In 2014-15 mini car sales were 524,247 units. “In the last five years there has not been this kind of launch in the mini-car space,” says Sharma.