The Renault KWID concept car unveiled at the Delhi Auto Show highlights both Renault’s commitment to new markets, such as India, as well as the company’s ability to produce appealing products in the compact car segment. The vehicle’s fun, yet robust design, along with its technology-driven features, is targeted at meeting the needs of young customers in these markets.
A ROBUST YET JOYFUL VEHICLE
The KWID was designed with inputs from Renault Design India and is covered by the ‘Explore’ petal of Renault’s lifecycle-based design strategy. The vehicle’s exciting proportions and dimensions as well as very short overhangs give the impression of a bouncing vehicle, while its oversized wheels protrude past the fenders and make the KWID look like a buggy car.
The playfulness of the vehicle’s exterior design is offset by a robust appearance due to its protective guards and chunky wings, which exude an impression of strength. The vehicle comes with a two-wheel drive transmission, but projects the facade of an off-road car.
The interior of the KWID is designed to serve as a snug cocoon and is inspired by a bird’s nest. The vehicle’s seats, suspended over a solid base in white, give an impression of lightness, while their 2-tone elastomer material provides a sense of brightness. The KWID also features rear air conditioning with controls on the driver seat’s back as well as ventilation through concentric perforations. The dashboard is an integrated tablet for commanding the navigation of the Flying Companion.
A HIGH-TECH CONCEPT CAR
Beyond the playful and imaginative styling of the KWID, the concept car also comes equipped with a host of technology-driven features, led by its Flying Companion. Aimed at offering a safe as well as fun driving experience, the Flying Companion is the first of its kind in the automotive world. Taking off from the rotating rear portion of the KWID’s roof, the Flying Companion can be operated in one of two modes – the automatic mode using a pre-programmed flying sequence and GPS location as well as the manual mode, which enables the companion to be controlled using a tablet inside the vehicle. The Flying Companion can be used for a variety of purposes, including scouting traffic, taking landscape pictures and detecting obstacles on the road ahead.
“Customers in new markets are much younger. Their expectations are different and customers are basically gamers. They tend to take a closer interest in technology and want to enjoy themselves. This concept car meets those needs in a variety of ways, but mainly thanks to the Flying Companion which makes driving both safe and fun. This is the very first time in the long automotive history we can dry on earth with an eye in the sky. It’s an amazing feature!” Serge Mouangue, Brand Manager and LCI Manager.
The KWID is also Z.E ready – being pre-disposed to receive batteries for electric use – and comes with a charging plug behind the Renault logo. The KWID is powered by the latest-generation downsized 1.2-litre petrol turbocharged engine mated to a dual-clutch transmission to combine driving enjoyment with low fuel consumption. Other technology-rich features include electric operated front bench seat on a center rail, electric opening doors, LED lighting, lack of gearshift and command keys next to the steering. The vertically-mounted TFT touchscreen display acts as the dashboard in the KWID and also provides access to connected services.
DESIGNED BY AN INTERNATIONAL TEAM FOR INTERNATIONAL MARKETS
A multinational concept car, the KWID is the first of its kind in Renault to target new markets. Renault Designers around the world, including India cooperated to conceive a vehicle made for local markets and designed to meet the latters’ needs. The interior of the vehicle was designed by François Grenier (Technocentre Design, France) based on original drawings by Mishu Batra (Renault Design India) and the exterior by Anton Shamenkov (of Russian origins, Technocentre Design, France) based on original drawings by Jean Semeriva (Studio Design Brazil). The colors and materials of the vehicle were worked upon by Neha Lad (Indian trainee, Technocentre Design) and developed by Chie Yanagisawa (Japanese designer, Technocentre Design). Axel Breun (Technocentre Design) was the overall Project Manager.
“Renault Design is a highly international team with studios in France, Romania, Brazil, Korea and India. This concept car is a reflection of the distinctly international flavour of our design network.” Laurens Van Den Acker, Head of Industrial Design.