Generalist automakers deal with strategic barriers as large as the sales volumes they usually achieve. In developed countries, their cars need to be the best in as many aspects as possible, while in emergent ones the biggest concern unfortunately is low price. Since this duality goes directly against the idea of unifying the lineup, they had to think of other ways for both operations to stay profitable. Until not so long ago, most companies solved that developing new cars for the first ones and sending them to the others when they became outdated. As you can imagine, such solution wasn’t exactly praised even way before information became widely accessible. But now, the difference is that most emergent buyers are more demanding than ever, so the companies had to adapt.
When it comes to Renault, the second-generation Clio was the chosen to help increase its market share in emergent countries, specially South-Americans. It arrived there shortly after Europe, but it would be all downhill from there. The model survived with only small updates and, when Sandero was released, a market downgrade. After rivals such as Fiat Uno and Chevrolet Onix – not to mention its own Logan family – proved that modern low-cost vehicles can be profitable, the French automaker decided to take another big step. Kwid pairs several design elements which already enjoy great acceptance among emergent customers to some of the very same technologies its manufacturer is currently using even in models as “Europe-only” as the new Talisman.
Kwid’s external design might be heavily based on what Renault has been using for a while, but none of that stopped it from showing its own personality. As a request of its target audience, it’s a hatchback that looks like a crossover. The front fascia is short and tall, which gives plenty of space for big lights and grilles. The wheels are enhanced by muscular bulges of just the adequate size for a model like this. The waistline is quite tall too, but adopting low door handles and that black-plastic insert eliminate the feeling of too much sheetmetal. At the rear, the lights are in great size and shape, the tailgate exchanges chrome inserts for more muscular creases, and the bumper uses a lot of black plastic so as to protect the car in rough roads and small parking spots.
In times when most small cars use the excess of style accessories as an attempt to hide their low-cost origins, Kwid represents a great exception also in the interior. The room is pretty much monochromatic, with the exceptions of the center console and the dashboard. The former is painted in piano black and carries the omnipresent big touchscreen for the infotainment system (the same used by the Logan lineup), while the latter features a digital instrument cluster; speed and fuel values are always present, but the main gauge appears to be customizable. Even though it’s intended to be cheap, Kwid can also receive several optional equipments, such as Bluetooth connectivity, satellite navigator, and style accessories such as alloy wheels.
Renault’s staff will be very excited to talk about Kwid’s construction. It uses the Common Module Family platform, just like several new vehicles from the Renault-Nissan Alliance, but in a brand new variation: CMF-A is dedicated to small ones, and intends to offer high levels of construction quality without incurring excessive costs. This is a more intense version of what Logan did ten years ago, although the new hatchback was focused in emergent markets from the beginning. There’s no official information regarding powertrain yet, but it’s unlikely to receive the options used in Europe – countries such as Brazil and India should equip it with simpler engines, so as to make it cheaper. The latter is the first one to receive Kwid, by the way, starting at around 3.5 lakh.