Renault has announced that it will withdraw from the ICE passenger car business in China and will concentrate on the EV segment, with the Renault City K-ZE a.k.a Kwid Electric leading the charge.
Renault is operating its passenger car business through Dongfeng Renault Automotive Company Ltd (DRAC), a joint venture with Dongfeng Motor Corporation. Renault will transfer its part of shares to Dongfeng and DRAC will stop using Renault brand to sell and to promote. Renault has announced that it will continue to offer after-sales service through its own dealers and through the Alliance.
China is the biggest electric vehicle market in the world with total sales of 860,000 vehicles in 2019 and the EV segment is expected to reach 25 per cent of the Chinese market in the coming years. Renault will be selling its EVs through two joint ventures – eGT New Energy Automotive Co., Ltd (eGT) and Jiangxi Jiangling Group Electric Vehicle Co. Ltd (JMEV). Renault’s first battery-electric car in China is the recently-launched City K-ZE, which we know as the Kwid Electric. The K-ZE is sold in China in partnership with eGT and the mini electric car will be launched in Europe in 2021 as the Dacia Spring.
Groupe Renault expect to reinforce its partnership with Nissan and Dongfeng within eGT to make K-ZE a worldwide car.
From Renault’s announcement on 14 April
The K-ZE or Kwid Electric which was also showcased at Auto Expo 2020 is fitted with a 26.8 kWh battery that offers a range of 271 km in the NEDC cycle. With a 33 kW motor driving it, the Kwid Electric can achieve a top speed of 105 km/h and can be charged in four hours to full capacity with a regular charger. It can also be charged to 80 per cent capacity in just 50 minutes with a fast charger. The same specification should apply to the Dacia Spring which looks set to become the cheapest electric car in Europe next year.
Renault Kwid-based EV en route to India
Venkatram Mamillapalle, CEO & Managing Director of Renault India earlier this year told EVW that the Kwid Electric could be the first electric car for Renault in India and that the company is looking at developing the CMF-A platform to launch an affordable EV solution for the mass market.
When it is launched, the Renault Kwid Electric will be the most affordable electric passenger car in the country and is expected to be priced around Rs. 6 lakh to Rs 7 lakh. The Kwid Electric is equipped with a fully digital instrument cluster, an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system, tyre pressure monitoring sensors, reverse camera and other features that has made the Kwid desirable to the entry segment buyer.
