Official confirmation has come from Renault regarding launch of two new cars in India next year. At the launch of Duster AWD, Renault confirmed that it is developing two new cars for India that includes Lodgy MPV and a hatchback being developed under the codename XBA. The company has also started testing both the cars in India which means we will get to see more spy shots of aforementioned cars in future.
With Lodgy Renault will venture into the compact MPV segment in India and will rival the likes of Honda Mobilio and Maruti Ertiga. Based on the same platform as underpinned by Duster, Lodgy will be offered in seven seat layout. The vehicle is already available for sale in other global markets, however Renault will modify the MPV for the domestic market. It is expected to don a sporty semblance, in the front a redesigned grille could be placed and ample chrome treatment is also likely to be seen.
Tail lights have also been positioned slightly higher than usual. Under the bonnet a 1.5 litre diesel powertrain is expected to be equipped offering two states of tune-85 PS and 105 PS. Petrol variants are likely to be employed with a 1.6 litre engine. Both the engines are expected to be matched to a five-speed manual gearbox, other than this a six-speed manual gearbox will also be mated to the 105 PS diesel variant.
Expected price for the MPV ranges between Rs 7 lakh to Rs 9 lakh. On the other hand the small hatchback codenamed XBA is based on the CMF architecture XBA will be a budget hatchback. The vehicle is likely to be powered with the 800 cc, three cylinder petrol engine. Currently there isn’t much information on the hatchback but it is being expected that the vehicle will be priced under Rs 4 lakh. Renault plans to export the entry level hatchback to other overseas markets too. In India XBA will compete with the likes of Hyundai i10, Maruti Celerio and Chevrolet Beat.
