Shaping the Future: Renault’s Ambitious 6-9 Vehicle Launch Strategy. Big Focus on Small Electric Car
For a long time, Renault has been in a defensive position in Indian automotive market. If we take a look at July 2023 car sales, Renault sold 3,607 units with its portfolio of three vehicles. Said three vehicles are Kwid, Kiger and Triber. Renault’s sales halved YoY and decreased by 33.82% MoM in July 2023.
The company is working on introducing EVs to its portfolio. A recent publication mentions a senior Renault executive indicating a potential launch of a small EV in 2024/2025. If we take a look at global markets, a rebadged Dacia Spring with Renault branding fits the bill perfectly.
Renault’s Electrification Charge: Dacia Spring version for India
Similar to Dacia Duster, we might see Dacia Spring in India with Renault branding. Considering that Kwid already has a brand recall in India, Kwid EV name makes a lot of sense. Dacia Spring gets Kwid’s underpinnings. It packs a 26.8 kWh Li-ion battery and promises a WLTP certified range of 225 km from a single charge.
There is just one electric motor in the vehicle delivering 45 bhp of power and 125 Nm of torque. When launched in India, it will go head-to-head with MG Comet and Tata Tiago EV. As of now, MG Comet is the most affordable electric car in India and it packs a 17.3 kWh battery promising 230 km of range from a single charge. Launch might be scheduled in 2024. Pricing would play a grand role in Renault India’s EV step-up.
How CMF-A Platform Powers Renault’s Electric Vision
We have covered test mules of Kiger EV before. There’s the Rs. 5300 Crore investment between Renault India and Nissan Motor that will aid in bringing in new cars. Renault’s MD Venkatram Mamillapalle said the company intends to launch between 6-9 new vehicles in India within the next few years. Likely between 2024 and 2026.
This plan includes mid-life updates to current models in 2024 and new B-segment SUVs owing to their immense popularity. New variations of existing vehicles could imply Nissan’s Triber counterpart as one such derivative. Alongside, EVs are of significance.
Said EVs will get CMF-A platform. As with Renault’s approach, localisation is a key focus area. And to start with the company aims for 55-60% localisation in the beginning.
