Upcoming Renault Cars in India - Triber to Captur Facelift

The international number one French auto manufacturer, Renault, has been operating in the Indian auto market for quite some time now. It has recorded the first success with the Renault Duster. Being aware of the potentialities of the Indian SUV segment, Renault launched the entry-level small hatchback Kwid, which turned out to be a remarkable success for the French carmaker.

However, both the Kwid and Duster are experiencing difficulties in India due to the market slump and the increasingly fierce competition in the Indian hatchback and SUV segments. Moreover, the product portfolio is not as diverse as required. Renault only has the Lodgy to compete against the greatly successful Mahindra Marazzo and Maruti Ertiga in the MPV segment. Also, the Renault Captur, a premium SUV, failed in competing against the much more popular Hyundai Creta and Tata Harrier.

‘Renault has made some mistakes in India” and “to give a second go at the important market like India’, the French automaker has planned some launches for India. Below is a list of five upcoming Renault Cars in India.

5 Upcoming Renault Cars in India

Renault Triber

The vehicle was recently unveiled at an international premiere in New Delhi. Borrowing the CMF-A platform from the Kwid, the Renault Triber will be half-MPV and half-SUV. With a seven-seater seating layout of an MPV, the Triber has an aggressive design of an SUV. In the front, Renault’s signature V-shaped grille is flanked by two projector headlamps, which add to the robust design of the vehicle. On the lower front face, the Triber sports a black honeycomb grille, fog lights with skid plate and LED DRLs. On the side profile, the MPV looks really interesting with features like black plastic cladding mounted on the doors, 15-inch five-spoke alloy rims and roof rails.

Renault Triber Compact MPV Unveiled - Quick Walkaround Video

In terms of the interior, the dashboard gets an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment setup in the centre with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. It is also equipped with 3.5-inch MID, 4 airbags and rear parking camera. The long wheelbase translates into an amber cabin. The 84-litre boot space can be expanded to 625 litres with the third seat row completely folded. Once launched, the Triber will become the first MPV in India to come with the third seat row removal option. Particularly, the seats can be adjusted in 100 ways to suit the passengers’ preferences.

As regards the powertrain options, the Renault Triber is expected to keep under its hood only a 1.0-litre three-cylinder naturally aspirated petrol motor, which is good for a maximum power of 72 PS and a peak torque of 96 Nm. The transmission duties are undertaken by a 5-speed MT/AMT unit.

The MPV will be launched in India this month and is likely to be aggressively priced at about INR 5 lakh*. Apart from India, the Triber will also be introduced to other foreign markets.

Also read - 2019 Renault Triber: Everything you wanted to know about the new Kwid 7-seater

Facelifted Renault Duster

Renault entered the Indian auto market with the Duster, the first-ever small SUV in India to come with a 4WD system, which helps it become the only competent off-road SUV in India. Nevertheless, the SUV segment in India is becoming intensively competitive India with newcomers constantly being launched with new modern features. The Mahindra XUV300 and the Hyundai Venue are just a few to name. Therefore, the Renault Duster has suffered a huge decrease in its sales number. To overcome this difficult period of time, the French automaker will soon bring a facelift to the SUV on July 8.

Also read - Tata Harrier Vs Mahindra XUV500 Vs Renault Duster: Which One Is The Best Off-Roader?

In order to conform to the forthcoming pedestrian protection standards, the SUV will come with a higher bonnet, which creates the necessary space between the lid and the engine. A new grille, redesigned headlights, a heavier and thicker bumper will be equipped in the front of the vehicle. New alloy wheels and roof rails will also be added to the SUV.

The facelifted Renault Duster is expected to experience alterations inside out.

Inside the cabin, a new driving wheel packed with faux brushed aluminium components will be present. A new infotainment unit, which will have the same size as that on the current model but will come with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, will also be equipped in the Duster.

As a method to comply with the upcoming BS-VI standards, Renault has confirmed to discontinue the production of the oil burner. Accordingly, powering the Duster will be only the old 1.5-litre K9K petrol motor which is mated to a 5-speed MT gearbox. Once launched in India, the Renault Duster will be competitively priced at INR 8 lakh*.

Renault HBC

The HBC is only the codename of the upcoming sub-4-metre SUV which is scheduled to be launched in India in the latter half of this year. In fact, the official name of the vehicle has yet to be revealed yet and no timeline for the SUV is available. This SUV is underpinned by the same CMF-A platform as the Triber but while the latter will compete against premium hatchbacks such as the Maruti Baleno, the former will rival compact SUVs like the Maruti Vitara Brezza, the Mahindra XUV300 and the recently launched Hyundai Venue.

The HBC will come with a unique design and is not purely a larger version of the Kwid. Renault claims that it will equip the HBC with some segment-unique features. These will include connected car technologies and sunroof in high-spec variants. Low-spec ones are likely to be packed with Renault’s touchscreen infotainment setup with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity. The compact SUV will also be equipped with some standard safety features like two airbags, ABS with EBD and rear parking sensors to adhere to the forthcoming crash test standards.

The Renault HBC will offer some segment-leading features.

Projected to be launched after the BS-VI emission standards take effect, the SUV is anticipated to receive its power from a turbocharged version of the 1.0-litre motor on the Kwid, which also serves as the power source for the upcoming Triber and completely adhere to the new emission regulations. This engine is likely to be mated with a 5-speed MT and EasyR AMT of Renault. Since the CMF-A platform also supports EVs, a pure-electric HBC vehicle can also be anticipated.

To effectively compete in the Indian compact SUV segment, the Renault HBC is expected to have an aggressive starting price of around INR 6.5 lakh, equal to that of the Tata Nexon and the Hyundai Venue, both of which are considered to be the benchmark for the sub-4-metre SUV segment with regard to pricing.

Facelifted Renault Kwid

First entering the entry-level hatchback segment in India in 2015, the Renault Kwid directly rivals the Maruti Alto, the segment dominator at that time. With a very competitive price and some standard features, the Kwid was successful in attaining a niche market for itself.  Nevertheless, it has been quite a long time since the Kwid last received a proper update and the current Kwid has started to show its age.

Since the based S-Presso has been confirmed to be launched soon, it is high time the French automaker gave the Kwid a facelift to make it more appealing to the Indian auto customers. The facelifted Renault Kwid is scheduled to be launched in India by 2020 and is aimed at becoming an SUV-inspired hatchback for city use.

The 2020 Renault Kwid has been spied more than once on Indian roads, this time was in Bhumkar Chowk.

The new Kwid will be packed with a brand-new radiator grille, a two-layer light system, a lower three-horizontal slat grille, upmarket LED DRLs, newly designed bumpers and restyled taillights. Some minor alterations will also be done to the interior of the facelifted Kwid. These include a new MediaNav infotainment setup, a novel instrument cluster and new seat coverings.

The new Renault Kwid still uses the 0.8-litre and 1.0-litre SCe 3-cyl gasoline burners which can generate 54 PS against 68 Nm and 72 PS against 68 Nm, respectively. Both the motors will come mated to a 5-speed MT and AMT unit. The Kwid is currently priced at INR 2.71 lakh for the base model but the facelifted model is anticipated to be priced in a slightly higher range, from INR 2.75 lakh to INR 3.00 lakh. 

Facelifted Renault Captur                

The Euro-spec Captur is expected to receive a proper update in 2020, before which, it has made a global debut with a list of updates in terms of features and powertrain. Before going into details, it is noteworthy that although the India-spec Captur resembles the Euro-spec one to a certain degree, the two vehicles are different. While the latter is underpinned by the CMF-B platform, the former borrows the more price-friendly platform from the Duster.

The updated Europe-spec Captur will measure less than its India-bound counterpart in all dimensions. The updated features will consist of all-LED headlights with signature Renault DRL extensions and a slightly tweaked grille. On the side profile, the greenhouse will be revised; the SUV will run on 16-inch or 18-inch alloy rim options. That said, the most thorough design alterations will take place in the rear with C-shaped combinations tail lights, a brand-new contoured tailgate, a sporty bumper with an outstanding scuff plate.

The Euro-spec Renault Captur will get some updated exterior features.

Remarkable upgrades will also be done to the interior. Specifically, the new Captur will borrow the state-of-the-art dashboard from the new-gen Clio. Some of the outstanding new features include a wide vertical touchscreen infotainment system, a wireless charger, etc.

The most outstanding feature of the new Euro Captur will be the cutting-edge dashboard borrowed from the new-gen Clio.

As regards the powertrain, this time, the new Euro-spec Captur will be the first Renault vehicle to come with a plug-in hybrid E-Tech motor. Thanks to this technology, the new Captur can travel with zero emission for 28 km. It will also keep under its hood a 1.0-litre and 1.3-litre gasoline burner and a 1.5-litre oil burner.

Considering the Renault Captur was launched in India in 2017 and received a minor facelift earlier in April, it is unlikely that the vehicle will receive any remarkable facelift in the foreseeable future. However, as the Renault Captur has experienced a stagnant sales number in India for quite some time now due to its unsuitable stance and price tag for the preferences of the majority of the Indian auto buyers, the French automaker is expected to give this premium SUV a major facelift in India soon.

Above is a list of five upcoming Renault cars in India. Which one impresses you the most? Which launch do you look forward to the most? Let us know in the comment section below. For the updated information on the Renault cars which will be launched in the coming time in India, stay tuned to IndianAuto.