Renault India’s much-awaited entry-level hatchback Kwid is finally here, and with a bang. What took everyone by surprise was its attractive price of Rs 256,968 for the base model. The Kwid is the first model built on Renault-Nissan's CMF-A platform.

Although much had already been said about the Kwid’s pricing being aggressive, the fact that Renault has managed to keep it almost Rs 30,000 cheaper than the base price for the Maruti Alto 800 and Rs 90,000 less than the Hyundai Eon base variant, is quite a feat.

Just for some perspective, the top-end variant of the Kwid which gets front fog lamps, chrome contour instrument cluster, optional driver airbag, on-board trip computer, navigation and remote keyless entry with central locking is priced at Rs 353,000, which is at par with the base model for the Alto K10 (Rs 355,000 ex-showroom Delhi).

The other entry-level car, Tata Nano, comes with a sticker price ranging between Rs 200,000-Rs 290,000 (ex-showroom Delhi). Also, in the form of the Kwid, the Renault-Nissan Alliance now has a new entry level offering which is cheaper even the Datsun Go (Rs 324,000 ex-showroom Delhi). The Datsun branded car on the CMF-A platform, which is expected to be launched by early 2016, may also have a sub-Rs 3 lakh price tag. 

According to Renault, it has managed to keep the costs low on manufacturing the Kwid largely due to the high level of localisation, with almost 98% of the car built in India.

The Kwid is powered by a three-cylinder 799cc petrol engine that makes 53.2bhp and 7.34kgm of torque. Launched in four variants—Standard, RxE, RxL and RxT – the Kwid measures 3679mm in length, 1579mm in height and 1471mm in width. It has a wheelbase of 2422mm with class-leading ground clearance of 180mm and a boot capacity of 300 litres. The RxE and the RxT variants are also available with some optional features.

The high localisation levels, lightweight construction and an all-aluminium engine make the Kwid a unique proposition for the Indian market and with a pricing that looks hard to beat, Renault India seems to be all set to disrupt the market ruled by Maruti Suzuki.