Renault Kwid sales dropped in 2018 by 28 per cent when compared to 2017, facing tough competition from Tata Tiago and Maruti Celerio
Renault Kwid sales dropped by 28 per cent as the company sold 66,815 units in 2018 compared to 92,440 units in 2017. The entry-level hatchback ended the year on a positive note as the company sold 5,832 units last month and registered 7.4 per cent Month-On-Month growth but the sales dropped when compared to December 2017.
The sales of Kwid has been coming down for some time now. The company introduced a minor update for the hatchback last year without increasing the price, but it didn’t make any impact on the monthly sales. In the past year, the Kwid has been selling at an average of around 5,500 units per month.
We can expect Renault to introduce more limited edition models next year to keep the current sales momentum as a new generation of Kwid might reach the market only in 2020. It could be developed to meet the upcoming stringent safety norms as the made-in-India Kwid lacks structural strength.
Renault is also working on an EV variant of Kwid and India launch might happen after the introduction of the model in the Chinese market in the near future. The company is developing a new MPV based on the Kwid’s CMF-A platform and it will share lots of components with the entry-level hatchback to keep cost down.
The Kwid is offered with two engine options as the entry-level models are powered by 799 cc, three-cylinder DOHC engine producing 54 hp of power at 5,678 rpm and 72 Nm of torque at 4,386 rpm. The 999 cc engine on the Kwid puts out 67 hp at 5,550 rpm and 91 Nm at 4,250 rpm. Both these engines are mated to 5-speed manual gearbox.
But the AMT transmission is offered only with the 1.0 L engine. The last update meant that the AMT gets Traffic Assist option that keeps the car moving forward in traffic conditions and this system also holds the car from rolling back during slopes.