* Full Year 2020 Reports * 40 markets available, BSCB Exclusive: The car landscapes of 45 Chinese cities and regions, 10 countries and 9000 km in a Dacia Duster, World First Half 2020: Discover the Top 800 best-selling cars globally, The world's best-selling car vs. the Australian Outback. Subscribe News . A very difficult concept to grasp for the rest of the world is that the car is a very new consumer product in China. In a Chinese market absorbing hundreds of new models each year, this was suicidal. I bought a Kwid 1.0 L (RXT Optional) on May 2017. But despite attempts at pushing an elusive Megane RS, the truth is this high-tech, sporty angle was not reflected in the Kadjar-Koleos original product offering. This version scored a zero for adult occupant protection, although obtained two stars for child occupant protection. Good feedback JP. However this region is already saturated with private vehicles, having reached a sales plateau and hampered with licence plate restrictions at the time of Renault’s arrival. The ratings for its lowest version took a hit due to issues regarding adult occupant protection. Renault is currently a decade old brand in India now. NCAP is an independent body that is focused on ensuring vehicle safety across commercial vehicles. This French-Indian disruptor is called the Kwid, and it’s the opposite of the Tesla Model 3 in almost every way. The Japanese automaker later requested NCAP to test a vehicle which had double airbags, which resulted in the agency granting it a three-star rating for adult occupancy protection. I would say it is a very well researched article and I couldn’t agree more. Customers in India are quite concerned about reliability, after sales service, maintenance cost, etc. It has only a driver's side airbag, whereas the standard version has no airbags. For example, Hyundai and Kia were able to sidestep the poor reliability shackle that has delayed their development in Europe and the US at the start of the 2000s. The justification provided by Renault for not producing the Duster in China, where an almost unfathomable 45 million SUVs were sold over the past 5 years (not a typo), was that the Wuhan factory could only produce the CMF platform. Renault Kwid: around the globe in the world's cheapest car. Corporate Renault jet will pick you up wherever you wish (Ghosn paraphernalia still on board). And there are no valid reasons why this recipe should fail in China. And that is precisely why it would have been a smash hit in China where the unabatted search for the best possible deal is a national sport and source of great pride. One of Renault’s main mistakes has been its Chinese positioning. Skoda, which has spent the best part of the past 30 years trying to erase a dubious reputation, reinvented itself as a semi-premium offering in China, signing its local communication with a “Since 1895” worthy of the greatest watchmakers. The brand could and should have banked on the clearly feminine image of French luxury that all Chinese women are obsessed with – a strategy that, by the way, could also lift DS from its Chinese abyss. 3. So with the Duster, Renault wouldn’t be pursuing a low-cost strategy, but would place a European brand at similar rates and when faced with a local and a foreign brand at the same price, a majority of Chinese buyers would still opt for the foreign brand. It’s a no brainer. Renault is going through tough times in India. The well priced Lodgy MPV has failed to enthuse the buyer and promptly, the French automaker has gone back to its 'one trick pony' status. Renault never even approached this figure. So the customer reach of the Renault Kwid was restricted due to the lesser service stations. Worst Renault KWID - Drive Mode Failed. In fact, local buyers are craving the Duster 4WD so much that it is now available in China as a parallel import (read non-official) from Romania, but 16% dearer: from 149.600 to 169.900 yuan (19.600-22.000€), making it way more expensive than the segment’s all-time local bestseller, the Haval H6. French automaker Renault's popular car in India, Renault Kwid failed crash tests that were conducted by NCAP. 2. With four clones already in the starting blocks, it seems pointless to hope for the survival of the Renault variant, and therefore of the entire Renault brand in China. I remember when Renault launched Duster in India, there was no competition for it, Renault pratically created a segment and the car became a huge hit with people. Even combined, these two have a very limited exposure in the Indian market – yet. What was risky for Renault’s brand image was to try and pretend to be a sophisticated brand whereas it really isn’t. Hope Renault’s business intelligence takes note. The Renault Kwid received its mid-life facelift in 2019 with major design and styling updates giving it a more upmarket look. I was sceptical about Duster in China but now you have presented facts It might actually work. The loop is looped. The tests prove that India is moving towards ensuring international vehicle safety norms. – Certainly agree on yr explanation how Renault India failed miserably with its communication relating to the (Russian Duster based) Captur. The Kwid’s lack of refinement is also quite evident at lower speeds. Renault hasn't formally announced a recall and neither has the carmaker … Barely 20 years ago, there were almost no private cars on the roads, even those of megacities such as Beijing, Shanghai or Guangzhou. I am from India so that is what I can talk about. Five popular passenger vehicle models in India -- Maruti's Celerio and Eeco, Renault Kwid, Mahindra Scorpio and Hyundai Eon -- have failed crash tests by vehicle safety group Global NCAP with 'zero star' ratings. Spot on. This means the brand won’t be able to rely on a sustained flow of imports to survive in China. Even Maruti would not suceed in that sgement. Skoda reinvented itself as a semi-premium brand in China. Even after Reverse mode, Only RPM increase. French luxury brands are extremely popular with Chinese buyers. My Favourites: 0 My Compare List: 0 Car Alerts Dealer Login Log Me In Register. * This is…. When is your meeting with the Renault board? In early May, Renault Kwid scored zero in crash tests for its three variants. – Any idea why the well received Lodgy tanked?? I am sorry I am replying almost after a month, I did not check my email. The lowest price model is Renault KWID STD and the highest priced model of Renault KWID Climber 1.0 AMT is priced at Rs. Bear in mind the EU and US brands successful in China have much deeper pockets than the French brands. The newly launched hatchback from Renault is available in eight variants and two engine options – 0.8-litres and 1.0-litre. 4.73 lakh. But in a market where more than 250 car brands including roughly 170 Chinese fight for recognition, making its way towards the very short car shopping list of the Chinese consumer requires marketing pioneering. The Renault Kwid is an entry-level crossover produced by the French car manufacturer Renault, initially intended for the Indian market. As far as VW and skoda are conerned, they are not considered exactly premium but yes they fall into more superior end of mass market automakers because of their very distinct ‘german car feel’. Hi Anthony, I believe the lack of sedans was not a Renault décision but linked to the authorization they received from the Chinese gouvernement: only SUVs and electric vehicles…, COVID-19 Live Dashboard Sales - Forecasts - Our help. NCAP now issues the vehicle safety standard through means of ratings allotted to them. As far as lodgy is concerned, it was doomed to fail as people blindly buy Toyota Innova when it comes to MPVs, it has got space, comfort, features and toyota reliability. For Renault, orchestrating a feasible China strategy led to Matt’s well phrased conclusion: ‘Wanting to play on all fronts, Renault found itself marred with a series of desired positions WITHOUT ultimately anchoring any”. And another thing is Renault has always been good in providing “cars for the people”. Plus Renault did a complete backflip in China when it introduced the City K-ZE at the Shanghai Auto Show in April 2019, the shockingly low-cost interior a disturbing eyesore in a Formula 1 background. Kwid sales after launch. Venucia, its low-cost brand, sells it as the e30, while Dongfeng itself offers it through three of its subsidiaries as the Aeolus EX1, Forthing T1 and Glory E1. Today Maruti and Hyundai alone have 70% market share with Kia, Mahindra, Tata, Toyota, Honda having around 5% each ( give or take some) and you are looking at a market with only 7 brands have 95% share which makes it very difficult for a new player, still renault played very well as you pointed out on its strength of providing fair cars for a good price. making its way towards the very short car shopping list of the Chinese consumer requires marketing pioneering. That’s what they did with Duster in India and what they are doing with Kwid and Triber now. The result: I saw more Borgward SUVs in the remote town of Bayanhot, Inner Mongolia in 2018 than in Beijing and Shanghai combined (see above). As far as Maruti is concerned, yes they have a massive share due to first mover advantage ( huge in India ) and great fuel efficiency ( again very important for most buyers ) but since last decade major growth for Maruti camw from rural regions, Urban Indian car landscape is much more diverse than what statistics show. Borgward BX7 in Bayanhot Inner Mongolia, April 2018. Hi JP – thanks for your note. Dealers have also started accepting booking amounts to the tune of Rs. Duster is One of the Popular cars of the Renault in india. Very interesting article. One thing I’d like to mention is related to your suggestion to import Duster on this market. It would have been a much cheaper exercise than trying to establish it in the ultra-competitive eastern seabord markets. Welcome to the world of the New Renault Kwid which features a host of new styling, design and safety features. I meant VW and skoda are ‘go to’ brands when somebody specifically wants a European car not ‘a car’ in general. Only 4 years after its launch as a local producer and although the Renault Group remains present in China with Jinbei LCVs, the Renault brand is headed towards complete withdrawal from the world’s largest auto market. Renault Kwid Service. Honda Mobilio's ratings were along similar lines, with its basic version scoring a zero. What do you think ? Read below to find out more about why should you buy the new Renault Kwid. An NCAP official said that with Renault's limited progress, they must offer the one-star car as the standard version. After all, it is also in the less urbanised parts of Europe that the Duster has carved itself a spectacular popularity – and borderline cult following – so preciously successful grassroots strategies could have been reused there, starting with a local version of the annual Dacia picnics. and small sedans like Logan and Thank you very much Harshit these are great insights. After the failure of its first Chinese joint venture, Sanjiang-Renault (1993-2003) which produced only 4.906 Trafic vans in a decade, Renault decided to try again in 2013 and reorganised the same joint-venture which became Dongfeng Renault, or DRAC. Foton revived the German marque Borgward in 2015 and its marketing in China has been solely focused on the brand origin even though not a single vehicle is currently produced in Germany. A respected image combined with value-for-money vehicles is the blockbuster recipe behind the global, decade-long success of the Group’s Entry lineup under the Renault badge. Renault almost never pitched itself as a premium European brand in India. Also what is with VW and Škoda in India? Reviews . Maruti sells Ertiga small MPV which is again difficult to beat so Lodgy was left as nobody’s choice. Vehicles sold under the Dacia brand in Europe but rebadged as Renaults for most of the rest of the world have enabled the brand to reach record market shares in India, Russia, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina and Colombia to name just a few. French auto major Renault's popular entry-level car in India, Kwid showed only limited progress in safety rating, scoring only one star for adult occupant protection in a crash test, according to automobile safety agency Global NCAP. For starters, Renault doesn’t seem to have invested in much sound-deadening … 1. And the (expensive) decision of using a local ambassador, the ultra-famous actress Fan Bing Bing, positioned the brand in a completely different universe: this time Asian and feminine. 2018 Renault Kwid has been in the news this week for failing the safety crash test. The Kwid’s AOP score of 7.78 out of 17 is almost close to the Seltos’ 8.02 rating. For example, if we look at the situation Citroen is in at the moment, we can clearly see how selling cheaper cars for a long time has negatively impacted the brand’s image in China, despite being implanted there for decades. This could have been a temporary fix, but given how individual cars play a role in social status in China, I am not entirely convinced that importing the Duster would have reverted the fate of the brand in the long run. Again Renault’s positioning in emerging markets hasn’t damaged its image at all, what killed Renault in China was not taking enough risks. PS: I have quite a substantial daily automotive news feed (among which banks), but not one article even comes close to Dr Gasnier’s “Renault vs China” write up. Chinese demand for the Renault Duster already exists. Granted, hindsight is 20/20. I agree it could have been helpful to launch the brand, and your analysis of mid-tier cities is very interesting. 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