Kwid's New Face And Formula To Keep Novelty Element Alive

Renault’s entry-level small car gets a facelift that refreshes its design and features package to take on new competitors

- S Muralidhar

The entry small car segment has had its share of failures; of cars that held promise but couldn’t take on the might of the Maruti Suzuki Alto. But, the segment itself seemed to be on a downward spiral, until the Renault Kwid arrived and reminded everyone that buyers in the segment are about as sensitive to that Maslow’s hierarchy style need for their vehicle to be aspirational. Around the time that the Kwid was first launched, the craze for sports utility vehicles had percolated down to the entry small car segment and the Kwid’s styling fit just right with that preference.

But, competition has moved in, and there are more options even from Renault’s own sister brands like the Datsun RediGo. There is also a new card from an old hand in the form of the Maruti Suzuki Spreso — a car that seeks an identical positioning. The Kwid needed a mid-cycle facelift; one that had to go a little more than skin deep.

Design

One look at the new 2019 Kwid that was launched a few weeks ago and you’d have to agree that Renault is keeping the element of novelty alive with this car. What you see in these pictures is the top trim Climber variant of the one-litre engine. So, yes, there are a few design elements that are unique to this one.