IAB Report - Renault's Maruti Alto rival launching in the second half of 2015

14/06/2014 - 12:59 | ,   | Anjan Ravi

Renault India will introduce its rival to the Maruti Alto in the second half of next year, sources in the know told Indian Autos Blog. The small car, codenamed Renault XBA, will be based on Renault-Nissan's CMF-A platform, which the Datsun Redi-Go will also share.

Renault Nissan CMF
The Renault XBA will be based on the CMF-A platform.

As we speak, the development of the car is taking place in India, which would be the first manufacturing site for the XBA. The XBA is intended for emerging economies like India and Brazil, and production in Brazil could take place soon after the Indian launch.

The XBA will be powered by a new sub-1.0-liter petrol engine, which is also under development at the moment. It is unlikely for the XBA to come with a diesel engine given that its target audience would be first time car buyers. The petrol engine would be offered with a manual transmission, though an automated manual transmission (AMT) is also in the reckoning.

Datsun Redi-Go IAB rendering
The XBA would share platforms with the Datsun Redi-Go.

Renault's Executive Vice-President and head of sales, Jerome Stoll, told a newspaper earlier this year that the XBA will feature "attractive" design and "good" usability. The car is expected to be priced between INR 3-4 lakhs, thus making it the entry-level model for Renault in India.

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