Renault Kwid

Specifications

At launch, the only engine available was a three-cylinder, 799 cc unit with a 40 kW power output and 72 Nm torque, coupled to a 5-speed manual transmission. According to the Indian newspaper The Financial Express, Kwid's 300-litre boot space is "the most voluminous in its class" and its fuel efficiency is "class-leading", at 25.17 km/L.[17] In August 2016, the Kwid received a more powerful 1.0-liter engine.[18] The Kwid 1.0 is powered by a 999 cc engine which churns out 50 kW of power and 91 Nm of peak torque.[19]

The Renault Kwid received a minor update in July 2018. It gets new features such as pretensioner front seat-belts, two additional USB sockets, a rear armrest, a new grille and two new colour schemes. The Dacia Easy-R 5-speed automated manual transmission became available on Indian market Kwid models.[20]

Latin American version

In 2017, a heavily revised version of the Kwid started production at the Renault' plant in Brazil. To comply with stricter Brazilian regulations, the localised version has various structural reinforcements and four airbags as standard which made its weight go up 88 kg compared to the Indian version. This version only offers a 1.0-litre inline-three petrol engine.[21]

It was also introduced to the Mexican market in May 2019, in the Intens, Iconic and Outsider trim levels. A Bitono trim level was added later on 10 November 2020, with the main difference having a black roof and can be ordered in the Marfil (Ivory), Rojo Fuego (Fire Red), and Naranja Ocre (Ocher Orange) colours. It is identical to the Outsider trim level and is positioned above said trim.[22]

Facelift (2019)

The Kwid in its facelift form debuted in India in October 2019, with a front fascia inspired by their electric version Renault City K-ZE, unveiled earlier in 2018, with the featured split headlamps consisting of LED daytime running lights, turning lights and positioning lights in the top portion and the main beam in the bottom portion. The Kwid facelift also featured a larger 8.0-inch infotainment system equipped with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and an optional passenger side front airbag.[23]

This facelift was launched for the Brazilian and Latin American markets in early 2022.

The Kwid in facelift model was went on sale in Brunei in late July 2022, marking the return of the Renault brand in the Brunei market after 9 years. It is offered in RXT and Climber variants.[24]

Global NCAP

At tests conducted in 2016, the Indian version of the Kwid with no ABS scored a 0-star rating for adult occupants and 2 stars for infants from Global NCAP 1.0 (similar to Latin NCAP 2013).[27] The Kwid was also criticised for being one of the Indian models not having airbags as standard. Renault and other car manufacturers made objections to Global NCAP for its methodology and for ignoring India's own safety criteria,[28] complaints also made in other regions as the NCAPs try to raise the safety level beyond that prescribed by the local regulators, which corresponds to 0-stars. One version with driver airbag obtained 1 star for adult occupants but also 1 star for infants the same year.[29] A two-airbag version for Africa was tested in 2020 and obtained 2 stars for both (similar to Latin NCAP 2013).[30]

Latin NCAP

The Brazilian-built Kwid in its most basic Latin American market configuration with 4 airbags and no ESC got a 3-star rating for both adults and infants from Latin NCAP 2.0 in 2017.[31]

ASEAN NCAP

Specifications

The vehicle uses a 26.8 kWh lithium-ion battery and is powered by a 33 kW, 125 Nm front-mounted electric motor driving the front wheels.

DC fast charging from 0% to 80% takes 50 minutes.[84]

The EPA range is not given and can be estimated at 100 mi; this is based on the car's NEDC range and the ratio of the EPA range to the NEDC range available for another BEV city car, the Smart EQ Fortwo.[87][88] While the car is rated at 271 km in China,[84] this is based on the NEDC cycle, no longer in use in Europe as it gives wildly inaccurate results, especially for EVs.

Optional equipment includes an infotainment system with a 8 in touchscreen, a backup camera and manual air conditioning.[84] A smartphone app allows remote monitoring of the vehicle's status.[89]

Pricing and reception

With the price starting at RMB after incentives,[84] which puts it at RMB without them,[90] this electric car is very affordable by Western standards.

The City K-ZE represents a category of budget electric city cars that are popular in China but virtually nonexistent in the West. Among these, it is likely the first to carry the badge of a Western marque. In general, the prices of electric vehicles are much lower in China than in the US or Europe, and they are exhibiting a downward trend, while in the West, prices are showing an upward trend. A report by JATO Dynamics indicates that an all-electric car priced at $1 in 2011 would, as of 2019, cost $0.52 in China, compared to $1.42 in Europe and $1.55 in the US.[91]

The car was launched in China on 10 September 2019.[89]

The International Business Times wrote that it looks set to become the real "Tesla Killer" simply because of its low price,[89] while erroneously stating it's the cheapest EV in the world (there are even cheaper EVs in China).

Dongfeng brands-badged models

Alongside the production version of the City K-ZE, Dongfeng Nissan showed off their version of an electric Kwid under the Venucia brand in the form of the Venucia e30.[92] Going on sale in December 2019, the e30 is essentially a badge engineered City K-ZE, sharing the same basic powertrain and design. The e30 name was previously used on another badged engineered EV based on the first generation Nissan Leaf.

Dongfeng-Fengshen also unveiled the Aeolus EX1 during the 2019 Chengdu Auto Show. The EX1 is powered by an electric motor with a maximum power output of 33 kW (44 hp).[93] As of December 2020, the Aeolus EX1 was relaunched as the Dongfeng EV EX1 sold under the Dongfeng EV brand.

In July 2022, a restyled version was introduced as the Dongfeng Nano Box sold under the Dongfeng EV brand and positioned above the Dongfeng EV EX1. In opposite of Venucia and Aeolus modelsboth of them with their front end inspired on the first ICE-powered Renault Kwid designthis one is more based on the City K-ZE fascia itself, but with more original design tweaks, thanks to plastic-molded components, much cheaper to modify than steel parts. Despite running the same engine as the other models, Dongfeng promises the Nano Box can run 331 km (206 mi) in the Chinese test cycle.[94]

Dacia Spring Electric

In October 2019, Gilles Normand, head of the EV department in Renault, indicated that a version of City K-ZE to be exported to the European market was in the works,[95][96] under the internal code BBG.[97] On 3 March 2020, the Romanian car manufacturer DaciaRenault's budget-car subsidiary in Europeunveiled a concept car of K-ZE for that market, under the name of Dacia Spring Electric.[98][99][100][101] It was intended to be presented at the 2020 Geneva Motor Show. However, once the entire show was cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic,[102] it was presented via web live stream. The concept had a grey body colour enhanced with neon orange accents on the rims, the door handles, the mirrors and the grille.[103][104]

The production model of Spring Electric was presented at Renault EWAYS conference on 15 October 2020.[105][97][106] To meet European safety standards, Spring Electric has been reengineered, featuring a reinforced chassis, six airbags and other assistance systems.[107][108] There were also changes in powertrain, with the single electric motor now being powered by a 27.4 kWh lithium-ion battery, instead of the 26.8 kWh in the Chinese model; permitting a claimed range of 230 km on the combined WLTP cycle.[109]

Their sales began in March 2021.[110] At its introduction, it was the cheapest electric car in Europe. The Spring Electric was also the second most popular model of electric car exported from China in the first eight months of 2021only behind Tesla Model 3with a total of 17,398 units sold in that period.[111] Car-sharing services and cargo utility versions were also launched later in 2021.[106] The deliveries for companies started in early 2021, while for private customers in autumn of 2021.[105]

2022 refresh

The 2023 Spring Electric, launched in June 2022 alongside all the other Dacia models, had a slight facelift on the front grille and a new badge on the rear, featuring the new Dacia logo and branding.[112] It has a 33 kW motor and weighs 970 kg, allowing it to carry four people.[113]

In January 2023, Dacia launched the Spring Extreme version which is equipped with a 48 kW motor and has a range of 220 km.[114][115]

In March 2023, Dacia updated the Cargo variant with the new logo, which is only available in certain European countries,[116] such as Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.[117][118][119]

2024 refresh

The refreshed Spring was unveiled on February 21, 2024, showcasing a revamped front and rear fascia designs, along with newly styled headlights and taillights.[120] It is now produced in a right-hand drive format for UK and Irish markets.[121]

Safety

The Dacia Spring in its standard European market configuration was awarded a one star rating in the Euro NCAP crash test published in December 2021.[122] Euro NCAP said the testing highlighted "a high risk of life-threatening injuries for driver chest and rear passenger head in frontal crash tests and marginal chest protection in side impact."[123] The protocol still in use by Latin NCAP in 2022 (one level above that of 2017) is very similar to the 2014 Euro NCAP[124] (four levels below that of 2021).

Renault Kwid E-Tech

The City K-ZE also began to be exported to Brazil in 2022 as a Renault Kwid top-range version, named the Renault Kwid E-Tech Electric,[125] matching the current Renault branding for electric vehicles.

The Brazilian version has a 48 kW motor instead of the 33 kW of the Chinese version, which is still less than the 53 kW of the 1.0-litre ICE version. It weighs 977 kg instead of the 818 kg of the standard Brazilian ICE version, so it can carry 4 people instead of 5 in the latter.[126][127]

In 2023, the Kwid E-Tech Electric starts to be exported to most Latin America countries.[128]