After Hyundai Venue, Renault Too Working on Sub-4m Compact SUV; Claims Report

Although the Indian auto industry is going through a period of extended slowdown, the makers are still displaying their trust in the market by launching new vehicles in the market. One such company is the French automaker Renault as after launching the facelifted model of Duster SUV in the Indian market this year, the maker is gearing up to launch the possible segment-started Triber compact MPV in the Indian market. However, there are reports on the internet that the company is gearing up to launch another SUV in the Indian market, but this will be a relatively more affordable options than the Duster SUV. The upcoming SUV from the company has been given the codename HBC and it will be a sub-4 metre compact SUV.

The upcoming SUV from the French maker will be based on the CMF-A platform that the Kwid is also based on. The CMF-A platform has been developed for emerging markets across the world by the brand and it can be resized as per the needs of the company. There are also reports that the upcoming HBC SUV from the brand will be presented for the public at the upcoming Auto Expo next year. The upcoming Triber compact MPV is also based on the same platform and there are hopes that the HBC SUV will share a lot of parts with the Triber MPV as this will help the company keep the costs down for both the vehicles. Upon launch, the HBC SUV will take on the likes of Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Hyundai Venue, Tata Nexon, Ford EcoSport, and Mahindra XUV300 in the Indian market.

The engine options on the HBC are also likely to be the same as the Triber and there are hopes that the upcoming SUV from the brand will be a petrol only vehicle because it will be launched near the upcoming BS-VI emission regime era. The engine doing the duty on the HBC compact SUV could be the 1L petrol engine that is about to make an appearance on the Triber MPV. There are also chances that the maker may take the turbo route with the upcoming compact SUV's engine. The engine without a turbo produces 72 Bhp and 96 Nm and it is tipped to come with a 5 speed manual and AMT options with the Triber. Like the Triber, the HBC is expected to be quite light. Twin airbags, ABS, reverse parking sensors, reverse parking camera, seat belt reminders and speed alerts are likely to be various safety features offered on the vehicle. The coming times will surely reveal more details about the upcoming Renault SUV.