Will be the first international market to get the Renault Kwid.
During the Make in India event, Sumit Sawhney, MD and CEO of Renault India confirmed that the company will commence exports of the Renault Kwid from next month.
The first market to receive the Kwid will be Sri Lanka, followed by other SAARC countries such as Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh. The company is not expecting as much demand from Sri Lanka as it does from the Indian market, given the import tax duties that significantly raises the price of the product. However, Mr Sawhney believes that this could change in the future, where volumes will eventually rise.
It's unclear if Renault will be exporting the current 0.8L Renault Kwid to Sri Lanka, or introduce the 1.0L manual and AMT variants which were unveiled at the Auto Expo 2016. The 0.8L variant packs a 799 cc engine capable of 54 hp of power and 72 Nm of torque, and is paired to a 5-speed manual gearbox, while Renault is yet to disclose power figures of the 1.0L variant.
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Given that Renault has managed to localize 98% of the Kwid, the company is also expected to commence exports of the Kwid in components to Brazil and other Latin markets from next month, where it will be assembled in their respective plants. Carlos Ghosn also stated that India will be a production hub of the Kwid, suggesting that Renault India could export to European markets as well.
[Source: Autocar Professional]
