Renault is currently working on an electric version of its popular hatchback, the Kwid. The French automaker has not yet revealed on when will its launch take place. Reports say that the Kwid EV will be Renault’s first attempt in entering the electric vehicle segment in India.
The electric version of Kwid won’t have an internal combustion engine.
Renault’s Indian operations engineers have gone to China to learn more about the electric market there. The Chinese arm of the company will give their expertise regarding the battery and battery management system. Renault will launch the Kwid EV in China first, followed by India.
The Chinese-spec model of the Kwid EV is expected to be launched there in a span of 12-18 months from now. This indicates that its India launch may not take too long to happen. The Kwid EV will be imported to India and markets like Brazil and the Middle East from China.
Initially, the Kwid EV will be sold in China, the prototypes are already started testing.
Renault are solely waiting on the clarity of the policy implemented by the Indian government. This policy ensures that electric vehicles from other export hubs across the world can be brought into our country. We can expect Renault to use this policy to bring in more electric vehicles from their global line-up to the Indian market.
Renault will use the low-cost CMF-A platform on the electric Kwid as well. We can expect the Kwid EV to be priced at around Rs.6 lakh when launched here. It will be rivalling the Mahindra E20, which currently is the only electric hatchback on-sale here.
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Also see: Renault India to launch Kwid facelift & Captur ‘Bose Edition’ by end-2018
