Renault posted 11,043 units in February 2021 as against 8,784 units during the same period last year with a YoY sales growth of 26 per cent
Renault India has certainly been on a roll since the launch of the Kiger compact SUV. In February 2021, the five-seater posted a cumulative domestic tally of 3,226 units. The highly competitive pricing is one of the key reasons why the sub-four-metre SUV is selling in good numbers and its tally is expected to increase further in the coming months.
The Kiger was the third most sold Renault model in the domestic market ahead of the Duster. It derives power from a 1.0-litre three-cylinder naturally-aspirated petrol and a 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo petrol unit. The former develops 72 horsepower and 96 Nm while the turbo mill generates around 100 horsepower.
The SUV has plenty in common with the Nissan Magnite, which has also been well received in India. The powertrain choices are paired with a five-speed manual as standard and unlike the Magnite, the Kiger gets a five-speed AMT in NA petrol. The top-spec variants of both models are connected to a CVT automatic transmission.
| Renault Models (YoY) | Feb 2021 Sales | Feb 2020 Sales |
| 1. Kwid (-6%) | 3,927 | 4,187 |
| 2. Triber (-10%) | 3,553 | 3,955 |
| 3. Kiger | 3,226 | 0 |
| 4. Duster (-48%) | 337 | 642 |
The Duster managed to garner a total of 337 units last month as against 642 units during the same period in 2020 with a massive Year-on-Year sales de-growth of 48 per cent. Despite receiving a mid-cycle update in 2019, the Duster’s numbers are on the way down in recent times and the next generation does not appear to be in the pipeline, at least in the near future.
The Kwid hatchback continued to be the most sold model for the Renault brand in February 2021 as 3,927 units were recorded against 4,187 units during the corresponding month in 2020 with a negative sales growth of 6 per cent. The Triber came in second with 3,553 units as against 3,955 units in February 2020 with 10 per cent volume de-growth.
Both the Kwid and Triber are successful products due to their aggressive market positioning and a similar strategy is working wonders with the Kiger as well. It will be interesting to see what the French manufacturer has in store for India up next as it could enter the lucrative mid-size space, as a sub-four-metre sedan does not appear to be in the works.