Renault has restarted testing the HBC on the roads. The upcoming SUV in India was spied undergoing road-testing recently. It will go on sale in the second half of the year.
The Renault HBC, rumoured to be named Renault Kiger, is being tested in production body. Spy shots suggest that it will look quite sporty with narrow glasshouse, sharp kick in the beltline and rakish back glass. Its front end will likely have traces of the Renault Kwid facelift, with a similar design for the upper grille and the split headlamps. It should feature projector headlamps, two-tone silver-black alloy wheels and LED tail lights.
Renault is developing the HBC on the same platform (CMF-A+) as the RBC (Triber), and so, it will likely be able to keep the prices much lower than competitors. The company will likely offer it with the Triber’s 72 PS 1.0-litre SCe N/A petrol engine and a ~95 PS 1.0-litre TCe turbocharged petrol engine. Transmission choices may include 5-speed manual and 5-speed automated manual. There won’t be a diesel engine option neither at launch nor at a later stage.
Not much is known about the interior of the Renault HBC. The feature list will include sunroof, touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support and automatic climate control.
The Renault HBC will belong to one of the most crowded segments in the Indian auto market. Kia Sonet, Hyundai Venue, Maruti Vitara Brezza, Tata Nexon, Mahindra XUV300, Ford EcoSport and Nissan Magnite (name TBA) will be its rivals. Expect prices to start from under INR 5.50 lakh (ex-showroom).
Also Read: 2020 Renault Kwid (facelift) - First Drive Review
Stay tuned to IndianAutosBlog.com for more Renault updates and other four-wheel news.
[Image Source: zigwheels.com]
