With the current state of the automotive world, no wonder automakers are clinching with “excessive force” to every market they can lay their wheels upon. And with India exhibiting an incredible appetite for very compact SUVs, there’s little surprise the South Asian country has become a veritable battleground where companies wage “war” with little crossovers such as the Kia Sonet or Nissan’s Magnite, just to name some of the latest introductions.
Renault already has a large SUV footprint in the second-most populous country in the world – with the Kwid, Duster, and Triber already on sale. Well, if a military acronym is of any help here, it seems the company is ready for a HALO jump (a high-altitude military parachuting technique, but also performed by civilians like Tom Cruise) on the market, judging by the recent reveal of the Kiger concept.
The French have labeled their new introduction as a show-car that signals the impending arrival of an “all-new small SUV that is both sporty and agile on all roads.” It’s going to fit in the less than four meters (157.5-inches) category when it hits the Indian market at a yet to be specified later date.
The dimensional aspect is so important because the B segment has a commanding presence of no less than 51% of the total market. And, as far as we can tell, Renault has had tremendous success here, claiming it’s “the leading European manufacturer distributed in India.”
Judging by the fact that Nissan is also preparing the Magnite for the same segment early next year, we can safely assume it won’t take long for Renault to present the series-production model based on the Kiger prototype (which may or may not have the same name, we’re not being told).
It would be logical to keep both the name and most of the show car’s overall styling, which arrived with an interesting front end and a rear that’s a clear reminder of the new generation Captur crossover sold at home on the Old Continent.
We can also safely assume that Renault won’t keep some of the fancier elements – such as the slim LED headlights, green turn lights, very large 19-inch alloy wheels, or the neon touches splashed across the beefy plastic cladding. On the other hand, if there’s one feature to keep, that would be the ample 210-mm (8.26-inch) ground clearance.
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
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