The entry-level segment has always been tough to crack in India and MSIL has been the leader since time immemorial – starting with the SS80, popularly known as the Maruti 800 all over India. It was so popular that up until early 2000s, these were probably among the only cars plying around the country. MSIL did capitalize on this successful product with constant upgrades throughout though.
The major upgrade came in the form of an all new design, the Alto which proved to be a worthy successor to an already successful product. Alto soon became the #1 selling car in the country, which is quite surprising if you ask me – the car was bare-bones minimal yet was racking up close to 20k a month, anyway – the only other closest competitor, the Hyundai Eon which I found to be a much better car to drive.
Maybe, there wasn’t real competition up until now.
New kid on the block:
Renault KWID is not here to kid!
*SUV like 180mm ground clearance (segment first)
*Butchy looks (segment first)
*Touchscreen (segment first)
AFAIK, it’s a rather toned-down version of the popular Renault Duster which was an instant hit with the crowd – right product, right time kind. MSIL must be facing the heat now!
Could Kwid be another Duster for Renault?
Only time will tell!
