Kiger expands Renault's SUV lineup in India

Renault is moving upmarket in India with the launch of the Kiger, a small crossover that aims to win over urban buyers with a higher level of technology and comfort features.

The Kiger is based on the Renault-Nissan Alliance CMF-A Plus platform, which also underpins a sibling model from Nissan, the Magnite.

The five-seat Triber will be the third locally built model in Renault’s range, after the Kwid minicar (on the standard CMF-A platform) and Triber crossover (also on the CMF-A Plus). The automaker also sells a Renault-branded version of the Dacia Duster.

The Kiger will be built in the Renault-Nissan factory in Chennai, India, alongside the Magnite.

Buyers in India are increasingly choosing high-riding SUVs in the small-vehicle (B) segment. SUVs will account for 34 percent of all sales in the segment this year, up from 13 percent in 2015, Renault forecasts.

The Kiger gives the automaker a second offering in that segment, after the similarly sized but less-aggressively styled Triber.

CEO Luca de Meo is seeking to improve Renault profits outside of Europe, and having the more expensive Kiger in India is expected to support that strategy. The Kiger will be sold in other markets, Renault said, but there are no current plans to bring it to Europe.

Renault did not release prices, but Indian news media have suggested a range of $10,000 to $12,000. The Kwid’s top price is about $7,300, and the Triber – available in a seven-seat version – is just under $10,000 in the higher trim levels. 

A show car version of the Kiger was revealed last autumn but Renault did not release specifications at the time. The automaker said Thursday that the production Kiger will be available with two versions of a 1.0-liter, 3-cylinder turbocharged gasoline engine,  producing 100 hp and a naturally aspirated model with 75 hp. 

A 5-speed manual gearbox is available for both versions, with an automatic CVT as an option on the turbo and a conventional automatic on the less-powerful engine.

There are three driving modes, normal, eco and sport.

The Kiger’s styling evokes the Renault Captur small SUV sold in Europe, with vent trim on the front fenders and a upswept line on two-tone models on the rear pillar. 

“The Kiger has a SUV coupe look, but its long wheelbase promises great habitability and volume on board,” Renault design director Laurens van den Acker said in a news release Thursday.

At 3,991 mm long, the Kiger takes advantage of Indian taxation rates that favor vehicles under 4 meters long. Ground clearance is 205 mm.

Inside, the Kiger has an 8-inch “floating” central screen and a 7-inch thin-film transistor (TFT) instrument panel with several display options. Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are standard on higher trim options, as well as Bluetooth connectivity for up to five devices.

Features new to the Kiger in India include an improved cabin air filter, ambient cockpit lighting and automatic air conditioning.

Renault was the best-selling European brand in India through November, ranking seventh overall with 70,708 passenger vehicle sales, a decline of 8 percent over the same period in 2019, according to LMC Automotive. 

Overall passenger vehicle sales were down by 20 percent, as the market continued a recovery from coronavirus restrictions in the spring that led to zero new vehicles sold in the month of April. Only Tata (+5 percent) did better than Renault compared with the market average among volume brands.

Maruti-Suzuki continued its hold on the top spot, with 780,000 sales for the January to November period, trailed by Hyundai and Suzuki.  

LMC is predicting that the Indian market, the world’s fourth-largest, will surge in the coming years, with a mass vaccination program from mid-2021 accelerating growth that started last summer. 

Light vehicle sales will grow by 38 percent this year to 3.83 million units, LMC said, with steady growth through 2027 to 4.65 million units. If that forecast pans out, India could edge closer to or surpass Japan, where growth has plateaued over the past decade, as the third-largest auto market.