Groupe Renault has announced their ‘Drive the
Future’ mid-term plan covering the 2017-2022 period. Renault’s business
expansion plan for the Indian market features 4 launches including an EV. Among
these will be a new Renault compact MPV.
Renault will be leveraging an extended version of
the CMF-A platform for the MPV. This platform underpins the Kwid and the Datsun
Redi-GO. Addressing the gathering, Thierry Bolloré, Chief Competitive Officer
of Groupe Renault, announced the plans for the future models. While an exact
timeline has not been specified yet, an earlier report said that the Renault
crossover MPV will be the French brand’s all-new model for 2019.
Renault currently has three models in its portfolio
in India with the fourth product – Renault Captur – just around the corner. In
the MPV segment, Renault has the Lodgy that has been around since April 2015.
Although the Lodgy has been unable to clock strong sales in the Indian market,
and despite most manufacturers shying away from the segment currently, Renault
clearly believes customers will turn to it due to the improving road
infrastructure and when seeking replacement.
A report from October 12 quotes Stefan Mueller, EVP,
Chief Performance Officer, Renault Group, saying that there are three new
models based on the Kwid planned for the future. The CMF-A based compact MPV
appears to be one of them. The other two are likely to be a new compact SUV and
an EV variant of the Kwid.
