Renault posted only 3,269 units last month with a massive 54 per cent sales decline; Triber overtook Kwid by just 169 units
Renault India sold a total of 3,269 units in March 2020 as against 7,127 units during the corresponding month last year with year-on-year de-growth of 54 per cent. The massive sales drop was expected as last month saw a major lockdown setback across the country leading to the economy reaching newer lows. Compared to the previous month of February, Renault posted 63 per cent negative growth.
Ever since the debut of the Triber and facelifted Kwid late last year, Renault had been posting good sales tally every month but the duo could not save the French manufacturer from a huge slump. Last month saw all the car brands registering unprecedented sales declines. With only 3,269 units, Renault ended up ninth in the manufacturers’ charts ahead of MG, Nissan, Skoda, FCA and Volkswagen.
The Triber modular vehicle recorded 1,644 units last month as against 3,955 units in February to witness a month-on-month decline of 58 per cent. The Kwid garnered 1,475 units as against 5,853 units during the same time in 2019 with a massive 75 per cent negative growth. On MoM terms, the Kwid encountered 65 per cent volume drop as 4,187 units were sold the previous month.
Renault retailed zero units of the Captur and Lodgy last month while the Duster was responsible for only 150 units with 83 per cent year-on-year decline. The brand is expected to enter the sub-four-metre SUV segment through a CMF-A+ platform based heavily localised model in the coming months. However, the Coronavirus pandemic could postpone its arrival to later this year.
It could be christened the Kiger and will more likely offer upmarket features like a sunroof in an affordable package. Just as other models in its lineup, Renault could aggressively price the Kiger against main rivals like Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Hyundai Venue, Tata Nexon, Ford EcoSport, Mahindra XUV300 and others to have a competitive edge.
The Kiger will spawn a made-for-India Nissan compact SUV. The five-seater has already been teased in India and it could arrive in the second half of this year as well. It will be crucial in possibly reviving Nissan’s sales fortunes locally.