Auto Expo 2014: Renault’s new Kwid on the block

French carmaker Renault has had the global unveiling of an all-new concept car – the Kwid – at the Auto Expo. Insiders had earlier said it will be something ‘out of the box’ and it surely looks that way. A two-door concept which is 3.6 metres long, the Kwid features Lamborghini-like scissor doors, a Mini-like pillar-less cabin and tail-lights that pop out of the rear.

The car was partly designed at Renault’s India studio in Mumbai with plenty of inputs going especially into the interiors of the car, which look straight out of a sci-fi movie. The Kwid concept even comes with a ‘Flying Companion’ that you can control with a tablet. A lot of the look of this car could make it to the next-generation Duster.

Importantly, it is the first Renault concept car to be unveiled outside Europe. “This is the first time we have chosen to reveal a concept car outside Europe and this is an eloquent sign of our commitment to India. Young customers in India are often trendsetters, looking forward to pushing the envelope when it comes to technology and enjoyable drives. The Kwid Concept, with its Flying Companion, meets this forward-looking spirit with both its dynamic styling and hyper connectivity,” said Gilles Normand, chairman of Asia-Pacific Region, Renault SAS.

Renault designers around the world cooperated to conceive a vehicle made for local markets and designed to meet the latters’ needs. The Kwid’s interior was designed by François Grenier (Technocentre Design, France) based on original drawings by Mishu Batra (Renault Design India) and the exterior by Anton Shamenkov (of Russian origin, Technocentre Design, France) based on original drawings by Jean Semeriva (Studio Design Brazil). The colours and materials of the vehicle were worked upon by Neha Lad (Indian trainee, Technocentre Design) and developed by Chie Yanagisawa (Japanese designer, Technocentre Design). Axel Breun (Technocentre Design) was the overall project manager.

The concept car features an unusual seat arrangement, with three passengers up front and the driver seat in the middle, in a slightly forward position to offer shoulder room, as well as two seats at the back. The central driving position afforded by this arrangement meets international driving demands, enabling the car to driven in both right-hand and left-hand-drive markets. The vehicle’s lightweight interior design is also adapted to warm weather conditions.

“Renault has seen unparalleled growth in India in just under three years and the market is set to continue playing a significant role in the company’s global strategy in the years to come,” said Sumit Sawhney, MD, Renault India. Thanks to the Duster (over 51,400 units sold in 2013), Renault India recorded an 83.1 percent rise in sales. The Renault brand recorded market share of 2.6 percent – almost double that of 2012. By end-2013, the carmaker had 125 dealerships in the country.

Renault also displayed the sportier-looking, face-lifted Fluence which now wears the company’s new face with the Renault emblem taking pride of place on the new grille. There’s a new bumper too and a few tweaks at the rear. The engines, however, will continue unchanged. 

The Renault Koleos has also received some cosmetic treatment. The updated SUV gets a new grille and styling, which is now in line with the global Renault design language. The updated Koleos comes with a 23bhp bump in power on its 2.0-litre diesel engine and will also be available with an optional six-speed manual gearbox.

Surprisingly, Renault did not showcase the face-lifted Duster at the Auto Expo and instead displayed the current car with a special edition body kit.