Photo: CarPix
Renault India has been working on a project called the XBA for over a year now. It's a low-cost car designed for the local market and stripped of any comfort features in order to bring prices down to about €4,000.
However, a prototype of the hatchback, which was recently speculated to be called Kayou, was also seen in Europe. That indicates either that French engineers are lending a helping hand or that it's also destined for the continental showroom.
With only three nuts holding the wheel in place, the Kayou would be illegal as a new car in Europe. However, there's a pent-up demand for a low-cost Renault/Dacia in markets like Northern Africa and the ex-Soviet region.
The unveiling of the car has already been announced, scheduled to take place on May 20th. The hatchback will debut in Chennai. Underneath the tarp could be a under-engineered version of the old Twingo platform or something from Datsun. Some local reports suggest it's built on a new modular architecture called CMF-A, though it has not been confirmed through official channels.
The Kayou will be powered by a 0.8-liter three-cylinder petrol engine. Likely paired to automated manual and manual 5-speed transmissions, it will be competing with the Maruti Suzuki Alto 800, currently India's best selling car.
Production should start towards the end of 2015 at the Renault-Nissan Alliance plant in Oragadam, Chennai. Prices will range between 300,000 and 4,000 rupees (€4,200 to €5,600), meaning it will be one of the cheapest cars on sale in the country.
With only three nuts holding the wheel in place, the Kayou would be illegal as a new car in Europe. However, there's a pent-up demand for a low-cost Renault/Dacia in markets like Northern Africa and the ex-Soviet region.
The unveiling of the car has already been announced, scheduled to take place on May 20th. The hatchback will debut in Chennai. Underneath the tarp could be a under-engineered version of the old Twingo platform or something from Datsun. Some local reports suggest it's built on a new modular architecture called CMF-A, though it has not been confirmed through official channels.
The Kayou will be powered by a 0.8-liter three-cylinder petrol engine. Likely paired to automated manual and manual 5-speed transmissions, it will be competing with the Maruti Suzuki Alto 800, currently India's best selling car.
Production should start towards the end of 2015 at the Renault-Nissan Alliance plant in Oragadam, Chennai. Prices will range between 300,000 and 4,000 rupees (€4,200 to €5,600), meaning it will be one of the cheapest cars on sale in the country.
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