- Will be available with 1.0-litre turbo petrol engine

- Offered in six exterior shades

Renault has taken the wraps off the production-spec of its sub-compact SUV, the Kiger. This will mark the French car maker’s entry into the popular sub-four metre SUV segment in India. Renault had revealed the concept version of the Kiger in November 2020 and has now showcased the production-spec model which when launched will rival the likes of the Maruti Vitara Brezza, Tata Nexon, Kia Sonet, and Hyundai Venue amongst others.

The Kiger will be a global product for Renault and will debut in India followed by other international markets. As for the production, the Kiger will be built alongside its cousin Magnite at the Renault-Nissan plant in Chennai.

We already know that the Kiger is based on the CMFA+ platform which underpins its younger sibling, Triber, and its newly launched cousin – the Nissan Magnite. However, besides that, the Kiger looks no close to the Magnite and speaks its own design language. First look at the Kiger, the B-segment SUV sports a muscular styling with a split two-slat front grille and an eye-brow type LED DRLs. The front bumper houses the three-pod projector headlamps with centre-placed air inlet and a skid plate at the bottom. The side profile flaunts a sloping roofline merging into the C-pillar making a floating roof-like design. It also has flared wheel arches with chunky plastic cladding around the 16-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels giving it the SUV-ish stance. The rear is attractive too, with C-shaped split taillamps, a sporty roof-mounted spoiler, and a big silver faux plate at the bottom. The six exterior paint shades will include - Ice Cool White, Planet Grey, Moonlight Grey, Mahogany Brown, Caspian Blue, and Radiant Red with Mystery Black Roof.

The interior of the Kiger sports an eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. The driver’s display is all digital too with a seven-inch colour TFT display and a three-spoke steering wheel. The onboard storage on the SUV is up to 29 litres excluding the boot space of 405 litre. Other highlights of the cabin is wireless smartphone charging, ambience lighting, air purifier, keyless entry, and a sound system from Arkamys.

The powertrain option is limited to a 1.0-litre turbo-petrol engine making 99bhp and 160Nm of torque paired to a five-speed manual, an AMT, and a CVT unit. It is also equipped with multi-sense drive modes – Normal, Eco and Sports to make the most of the three-cylinder engine.

Renault has not divulged any details regarding the India launch of the Kiger. But given the late entry into the segment, we should expect an imminent launch with pricing ranging between Rs 6 to Rs 9 lakh (ex-showroom).

Commenting on Renault KIGER and the importance of the India market, Venkatram Mamillapalle, Country CEO & Managing Director, Renault India Operations, shared, “Renault has continued to move forward in India and has navigated the challenging macro-economic environment, bettering the industry trends. We have managed this by our robust business strategy which includes our exciting product range, laser-sharp focus on quality and customer centricity and our aggressive network ramp up across the country. Today, we take another major step in India with the global reveal of Renault KIGER, our all-new B-SUV which will stand out as an excitingly sporty, super smart and attractively stunning offering. Following Duster, which made SUVs accessible to a large set of people, not just in India but across the world, Renault KIGER will once again make SUV aspirations accessible to a whole new set of customers and we look forward to building on our increasing customer base with this new game-changer.”