Photo: motorbeam.com
The 2014 New Delhi Auto Show was the surprise event of the year’s calendar for us. Local makers like Tata showed they could produce concept cars on a much higher level, still very small, but just as cool as something Honda or Ford can muster. Showing it had high interest in the Indian market, French carmaker Renault also revealed a concept called the KWID, a tiny 3.6-meter crossover with two butterfly doors.
The KWID looked just as well as Captur or Initiate Paris, which was a bit of a surprise. Why bother? A new report from British magazine AutoExpress suggests production was always a target with this concept, which could be ready to roll off the line in 2016.
Many changes will, however, have to be mode before the KWID is sold. A full 5-door body will probably have to be created, one which falls into the sub-4-meter crossover SUV category. Renault already has the Captur B-segment crossover, but at 4.1 meters in length it's too big to take advantage of certain regulation in the Indian auto market.
A compact platform could be sourced from the outgoing Twingo, with power coming from a choice of either naturally aspirated or turbocharged 3-cylinder engines. The turbocharged 0.9 TCe 90 is already available on many Renault and Dacia models, but the 0.9 SCe non-turbo with 70 PS is brand new and will make its debut with the next Twingo. All-wheel drive seems highly unlikely, since the bigger and more expensive Captur doesn’t have it either.
Take this report with an extra-large grain of salt. AutoExpress is making its entire claim without ever mentioning the word “India”. Why is that important? Because that’s where the concept was revealed and also the market it was designed for.
Still, the overall idea is by no means unfathomable. Deemed too small for developed markets, A-segment crossovers are popping up left and right in South America and Asia. Volkswagen has a similar design in its pipeline. Called the Taigun, it’s also been previewed by a concept and is based on the Up! city car.
Many changes will, however, have to be mode before the KWID is sold. A full 5-door body will probably have to be created, one which falls into the sub-4-meter crossover SUV category. Renault already has the Captur B-segment crossover, but at 4.1 meters in length it's too big to take advantage of certain regulation in the Indian auto market.
A compact platform could be sourced from the outgoing Twingo, with power coming from a choice of either naturally aspirated or turbocharged 3-cylinder engines. The turbocharged 0.9 TCe 90 is already available on many Renault and Dacia models, but the 0.9 SCe non-turbo with 70 PS is brand new and will make its debut with the next Twingo. All-wheel drive seems highly unlikely, since the bigger and more expensive Captur doesn’t have it either.
Take this report with an extra-large grain of salt. AutoExpress is making its entire claim without ever mentioning the word “India”. Why is that important? Because that’s where the concept was revealed and also the market it was designed for.
Still, the overall idea is by no means unfathomable. Deemed too small for developed markets, A-segment crossovers are popping up left and right in South America and Asia. Volkswagen has a similar design in its pipeline. Called the Taigun, it’s also been previewed by a concept and is based on the Up! city car.
Google News