Renault India is all set to unveil its first-ever sub-4m SUV, the Kiger on 28 January 2021. In November 2020, the French marker had shown the SUV in concept avatar, revealing various details about its design.
The Renault Kiger will be based on Renault-Nissan's CMF-A+ platform, which also underpins many other Renault-Nissan offerings like Renault Triber cross-MPV and the newly launched Nissan Magnite SUV. Not only the platform, but the Kiger will also share many components with its Nissan counterpart including the engine, and transmissions options. In fact, the Kiger is essentially the Nissan Magnite with a different design.
Revealed by the concept images & spy shots, the Kiger will get a Renault Triber like grille with two horizontal slats and a split headlamp setup, featuring LED DRLs on traditional headlamp position that runs along the width of the car, whereas the main headlamp unit (3-pod LED entireties) is positioned on the aggressively styled bumper.
In concept images, the silhouette of the car looks largely similar to the Magnite with heavy bottom line cladding, squared wheel arches, and sloping roofline. However, the 19-inch alloy wheels and the double central exhaust system will be given a miss in production form.
As far as the features are concerned, the Renault Kiger is expected to get a similar set of features as the Magnite, which mainly includes an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system, wireless Apple Carplay & Android Auto, auto climate control, rear AC vent, wireless charging, digital instrument cluster, cruise control, JBL sound system, ambient lighting, multifunction steering wheel, 360-degree parking camera, tyre pressure monitoring system, etc. It is important to note that the made-in-India Nissan Magnite has recently secured a 4-star safety rating in the ASEAN NCAP crash test and we can expect similar results for the Kiger.
Engine & Gearbox options
As mentioned above, the Kiger SUV will share its powertrain with the Magnite, hence, it will be a petrol-only offering. For reference, Magnite gets a 1.0-litre naturally aspirated 3-cylinder petrol (72PS/96Nm) and a 1.0-litre turbo-petrol (100PS/upto160Nm) engine options. Transmission options include a 5-speed manual and a CVT exclusively for the turbo engine.
Renault Kiger – Expected Launch & Pricing
The Renault Kiger will be first launched in the Indian market. It is expected to go on sale shortly after its unveiling. In terms of pricing, the Kiger will also be priced aggressively, just like the Magnite, which now costs between Rs 5.49 lakh to Rs 9.97 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). Once launched, it will rival the likes of Hyundai Venue, Ford Ecosport, Kia Sonet, Maruti Vitara Brezza, Tata Nexon, Honda WR-V, Toyota Urban Cruiser, Mahindra XUV300, and Nissan Magnite.