Renault currently has four models in India – Kwid, Lodgy, Duster and the Captur. Out of the lot, the Kwid brings home bread-and-butter for the French carmaker on our shores. In other words, it is currently the bestselling Renault model in India. Come April 2019, the prices for the Renault Kwid will be hiked by up to 3 per cent. The carmaker says that the move is to offset the effects of rising input costs. All other Renault models will remain unaffected, at least in their pricing department.

Earlier this year, Renault updated the Kwid’s recipe to make it more appealing. Apart from a new 7.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system, which supports Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, the pocket-friendly hatchback has received a bump in its safety quotient. As standard, the Renault Kwid gets an airbag for the driver, ABS with EBD, seatbelt reminder for the front seats and speed alert system. However, the car still doesn’t offer rear parking sensors in any trim. Safety gizmos like a rear-view camera, front fog lamps and intermittent front wiper are reserved for the RXT (O) and Climber trims of the Kwid.

The Kwid is currently available with two petrol engines – a 0.8-litre and a 1.0-litre. While the former produces 54PS/72Nm, the latter generates 68PS/91Nm. Both engines are available with a 5-speed manual transmission but only the bigger of the two can be had with an AMT (automated manual transmission).

The Renault Kwid is currently priced between Rs 2.67 lakh and Rs 4.63 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). It locks horns directly with the Maruti Suzuki Alto (800 and K10) and its step-sibling – the Datsun Redi-Go. While Redi-Go recently received a change in recipe, the Alto is long overdue for a generation change. The segment also had the Hyundai Eon for a long period but that has been axed by the carmaker.