Renault Nissan alliance will have just one petrol engine, a 1.0L 3-cylinder, post April 2023 – It will be offered in a turbo state and NA state
Come April 2023, we will witness the shift to a greener emission era. This is made possible by mandating phase II of BS6 emission norms. With this move, vehicles have to meet RDE norms (Real Driving Emission) and not just lab conditions. This was particularly challenging and most vehicles with lesser demand will be dropped for good.
This way, we will soon witness 17 cars that will be permanently discontinued from Indian market. Renault has one vehicle that is being dropped in this move. Ahead of this move set to take place from April 2023, Renault has made all of its lineup compliant to phase II of BS6 transition. Price increments for updated models are not announced yet. Let’s take a look.
Renault 2023 Lineup
Before launching its maiden EV in India, Kiger Electric, Renault is making its powertrains compliant with RDE norms. Renault had 3 vehicles in total, Kwid, Triber and Kiger. Kwid is its entry-level hatchback marketed as a micro SUV. Triber is a sub 4m crossover MPV that enjoys a complete niche. Kiger is Renault’s current flagship and is a sub 4m compact SUV.
Renault has two petrol engines, a 0.8L 3-cylinder and a 1.0L 3-cylinder. Renault’s least expensive car, Kwid, is offered with both these engines. Post April 2023, Renault will bid adieu to its humble 0.8L engine. In effect, Renault’s entire current lineup will be powered by just one engine, which is the 1.0L petrol engine.
Both Kwid and Triber will feature this engine in a naturally aspirated setup. Tuning between the two is different given differences in size, weight and segments they fall in. Kwid 1.0L will make 67 bhp of power and 91 Nm of torque, while Triber 1.0L will make 71 bhp of power and 96 Nm of torque, mated with a 5-speed MT and AMT.
Kiger, however, gets the same 1.0L engine in a naturally aspirated setup and turbocharged setup. In NA setup, power and torque figures are the same as that of Triber’s at 71 bhp of power and 96 Nm of torque, offered with a 5-speed MT and AMT. The turbo setup makes 99 bhp of power and 160 Nm of torque, offered with a 5-speed MT and a CVT.
Upcoming Cars With Nissan
Nissan has already revealed they intend to bring X-Trail, Juke and Qashqai SUVs to India. Nissan Juke is around 4.2 m in length and Qashqai is slightly larger and goes till 4.4 m in length. X-Trail is around 4.7 m in length. Renault will get a piece of the cake too in the form of Renault Arkana and Koleos. Both have been spied testing in India already.
It looks like platform and powertrain feasibility testing is wrapped up or is still undergoing. With these models, Renault and Nissan hope to make a mark in premium segments again, while Magnite, Kiger, Triber and Kwid will take care of lower-price segments.
