Renault Kwid Facelift India Launch In 2019; Will Rival New Maruti Alto

The Kwid facelift might take design inspiration from the Renault City K-ZE electric car

• Renault has confirmed that the Kwid facelift will be launched in 2019.

• Likely to be launched around the festive season.

• Design changes likely to be inspired by the City K-ZE (Kwid-based electric car)

• Will get more features than current version

• Prices to remain largely similar; currently priced between Rs 2.71 lakh to 4.66 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi)

Renault is set to give its entry-level hatchback, the Kwid, a mid-life update. The hatchback was launched in India four years ago in 2015. The updated Kwid is set to be launched in the second half of 2019.

Renault recently revealed the Kwid-based EV -- the City K-ZE. We believe that the Kwid facelift might borrow certain design elements from the City K-ZE. As a result, expect the front bumper to get heavy modifications to accommodate the main headlamp like on the City K-ZE. Since the City K-ZE’s headlamps are lower down on the bumper, the upper lamps, which house LED DRLs and indicators, have been made sleeker in comparison to the main headlamp assembly seen on the current Kwid. Expect the front grille of the conventional Kwid to be different from that of the City K-ZE, which is an electric car and hence houses a charging port on the grille.

At the side, there’s hardly any design change to point. However, it’s worth noting that the K-ZE features 14-inch alloy wheels with 165/70-section tyres. These are a size larger than the ones offered on the India-spec Kwid. Renault doesn’t offer alloy wheels on the Kwid in India.

The City K-ZE looks quite similar to the current Kwid when seen from the rear. So we don’t expect any major design change in the updated version. However, it could get reworked tail lamps, which might feature LED light guides like the K-ZE, and a redesigned rear bumper.

As far as the interior is concerned, the current Kwid and the City K-ZE get a dark grey cabin (City K-ZE was also revealed with a white interior). We expect the colour scheme on the Kwid facelift to remain unchanged. Since the Kwid doesn’t feature a passenger airbag at the moment, unlike the Brazil-spec Kwid and K-ZE, we expect Renault to offer the facelift with dual front airbags. We also think it could feature the same dashboard layout as the City K-ZE’s.

As mentioned before, the Kwid facelift is likely to be launched around the 2019 festive season. At present, the Kwid is priced from Rs 2.71 lakh for the base-spec 800cc version to Rs 4.66 lakh for the top-spec Climber variant (both prices, ex-showroom Delhi). With both the Kwid and Climber facelifts expected to get more features than before, expect a slight bump in prices as well.

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