Renault HBC is expected to launch in India next year; expected to be priced aggressively as it is based on the CMF-A+ platform as the Triber
With Renault India facing huge sales declines over the last several months, the arrival of the Triber could not have come at a better time as the modular vehicle is expected to make a big impact in the domestic market. However, if history suggests anything, Renault cannot rest on its laurels by having only a single successful product.
As the Kwid has been vehemently hit by the sales slowdown that plagues in the industry, Renault definitely needs more new products in the volume space to have a sustained future and this is where a possible contender in the compact SUV segment comes into play. Customers have shown increased affinity towards the sub-four-metre SUV space in recent years and thus the competition has also tightened up.
Despite being late to the party, Renault could pull off something new with what has been codenamed the HBC and it will rival Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Hyundai Venue, Tata Nexon, Mahindra XUV300, Ford EcoSport and Honda WR-V. The Triber is based on the CMF-A+ architecture and thus the HBC will also sit on the same platform with high local content.
Just as the Triber, the HBC could undercut its competition with an aggressive price range between Rs. 5.75 lakh and Rs. 8.5 lakh (ex-showroom). With the second-generation Duster seemingly not in the range for debut in the near future, the Renault HBC carries plenty of significance and the rendering posted here indicates what its exterior might look like.
The digital imagination shows the HBC as a more compact version of the Duster while adopting design cues from the Triber especially up front. It gets sharp projector headlamps, triple-layered grille with Renault emblem sitting in the middle, horizontal LED DRLs, black finished roof and pillars, wide central air dam, underbody skid plate, chrome door handles and machined wheels.
We can expect the interior to boast a touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, cruise control, voice commands, push-button start/stop, adjustable headrests, multi-functional steering wheel and so on. It could be powered by an uprated BSVI 1.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine mated to either a five-speed manual or an AMT.
Source: Kleber Silva