Renault HBC Reaching Showrooms This Summer, Could Cost Lesser Than Maruti Vitara Brezza

Renault HBC was among the biggest misses from the Auto Expo 2020. The upcoming car will likely go on sale in India this summer and will become a more rugged sibling of the Triber. The HBC will play an instrumental role in helping the Indian subsidiary of its French carmaker consolidate its position in India. Specially developed for our market, the new SUV will be no longer than 4,000 mm in length. 

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The all-new Renault HBC will not be based on BO platform of Duster or BO+ platform the 2021 Renault Captur. Instead, the SUV will be based on the company’s CMF-A+ platform. The same platform also underpins the Triber. Moreover, the SUV will share its mechanics with the upcoming Nissan Magnite, which is expected to hit the Indian shores a few weeks before its Renault-badged cousin. 

The Renault HBC will derive its juice from an HR10 1.0-litre, three-cylinder turbocharged petrol motor that produces 95bhp of maximum power. The engine will come coupled to a 5-speed MT and an AMT. Moreover, the upcoming SUV will come loaded with some attractive features, which are not yet offered on any Nissan or Renault car in India. While a long list of features is something that will surely attract customers in this segment, the actual point of attraction will be the price at which the new car will be sold. Akin to the Triber, the HBC will most likely play the value card. 

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The SUV will sit beneath Duster in the company’s stable, and will not be longer than 4,000 mm in length

In terms of size, power and equipment, the upcoming sub-compact SUV will rub its shoulders with the likes of Ford EcoSport, Hyundai Venue, 2020 Maruti Vitara Brezza and Tata Nexon. However, it will surely cost a tad lesser. Another new sub-compact SUV that will launch around the same time is the Kia Sonet, which will go on sale in August 2020. One can expect the upcoming compact SUV by Kia to feature a 1.2-litre, naturally-aspirated petrol engine, a 1.0-litre turbocharged petrol motor and a 1.5-litre turbocharged diesel engine. The SUV will be manufactured at carmaker’s production facility in Anantapur, which has an annual production capacity of 3,00,000 units.