Renault Kwid is apparently being prepared for a
facelift, as we have received the first spy photos of a slightly camouflaged
prototype out testing. Don’t let the body shape and the front fascia design
fool you – this is not a new entry-level Dacia, but a revised version of the
Kwid.
It’s easy to see there won’t be any drastic design
improvements. The rugged, easy-on-the-eye exterior will receive only a couple
of minor tweaks, like a revised front bumper with new fog lamps and a restyled
rear bumper. It’s 2018, but this cute small Renault is still using tiny wheels
with only three wheel nuts – and that won’t change, too.
But that’s not really a surprise, given the
0.8-liter engine under the hood. The "extremely well positioned in terms
of fuel consumption" motor generates only 57 hp,
which are transferred to the front wheels via a five-speed manual gearbox. No
AWD option is available.
The vehicle is based on Renault-Nissan’s CMF-A
platform, which allows the crossover-inspired hatch to offer customers in India
the biggest interior space and trunk capacity in its class, at least according
to the French automaker.
The Kwid is Renault’s best-selling model in India
with more than 200,000 examples delivered to clients during the first two and a
half years on the market. However, last year sales dropped by more than 20
percent, which is most likely one of the main reasons why the manufacturer is
already preparing a facelift for its entry-level model.
Currently, the vehicle is also in South America, but
these new spy photos have been taken in Southern Europe, which suggests Renault
might finally bring the Kwid to the Old continent. Expect to see the refreshed hatch in showrooms
during the first half of 2019.
