Small Car Kwid pushes value of Renault India

The company is planning to launch one new model every year for the next few years to keep the momentum going.Renault India has quickly emerged into one of the top five subsidiaries of the French car maker, thanks in no small measure to the Kwid small car which is setting the sales chart on fire. In the first quarter of this calendar year which ended in March, Renault’s Indian subsidiary posted around 200% growth with registrations of the Kwid exceeding 23,000 units.

The small car has garnered over 120,000 orders since its launch. It clocked sales of 9,800 units in March, entering the top 10 best selling cars list in the process. The Alto rival is expected to maintain its strong show in the coming months as well.

Not only did Kwid help Indian subsidiary move up the ladder within Renault, but also helped the brand gain two places in the domestic market. Renault started 2015 as the 8th largest automaker in India and gained two places to finish 6th by the end of the year.

The company is currently working on reducing the Kwid’s waiting period which currently stands at around 4 months depending on the variant and location. The initial production capacity of 2,500 units per month has been ramped up several times to reach the current rate of 10,000 units per month (the company added third shift).

The Kwid’s success also put Renault India right on track to achieve it targetted market share. As of now, the brand enjoys a market share of 2.17%.

This article has first appeared in Rushlane.com