French Automaker Renault to Launch Compact Sedan Earlier Than Expected

French automaker Renault’ recent sales have been nothing to write home about and the company is trying hard to recreate the magic it had with Duster and Kwid in the market. The Captur compact SUV failed to entice the customers and therefore the car maker is toiling hard to push the sales figure of the company to double that of the current figure. In the bid to do the same, the company is planning to launch a few new cars in the country. The French automaker has already released the teasers of its upcoming MPV that will be named as Triber in the Indian market. As far as other models are concerned, the company has already stated that it will be launch the facelifted versions of two of its most successful products in the market -- Kwid hatchback and Duster SUV – later this year. Post the launch of facelifted versions, the company will also launch a new compact SUV and a sub compact sedan based on the Kwid hatchback in the Indian market.

As of now, the internal codename for the sedan from the company is the LBA and upon launch, the sub-4 meter compact sedan will lock horns with Maruti Suzuki Dzire, Ford Aspire, Hyundai Xcent, Honda Amaze and the Tata Tigor in India. The upcoming sedan will be based on the CMF-A platform that currently is being used in the Kwid hatchback and the sedan’s wheelbase will be extended in order to accommodate the sedan’s size. Talking of the platform, the same will also be found in the sub-4 meter compact SUV that the company is working on. Upon launch, the sub-4 meter compact SUV will take on the likes of Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Tata Nexon, Ford EcoSport, Hona WR-V and Hyundai Venue in the Indian market.

What is to be noted here is that the French company had stopped work on the sub compact sedan some time ago but no there are reports that the company has started work on the same. However, there is no concrete date or time as to when the sedan will be launched in the Indian market, so one can only assume that the company will bring it to the market in the next couple of years. There are scant details about the upcoming sedan but it is expected to undercut the major rivals in the market.

As the future of the auto-industry in India holds even stricter emission and safety norms, expect the new sedan as well as compact SUV from the company to comply with all the upcoming norms. As already stated, Renault has had disappointing sales figures in the Indian market. While the company faced initial success with Duster and Kwid, the rivals have caught on and it remains to be seen how the upcoming vehicles of the company perform in the Indian market.