Renault HBC to compete with Hyundai Venue and Tata Nexon

The Renault HBC is a car that is going to be one of the 3 launches that Renault has planned. The vehicle will be a sub-4-meter SUV specially made for India. It will be made keeping in mind the Indian buying mentality as well as the favor for a few designs. The Renault HBC is going to be a compact sub-four meter SUV. Hence, it will be the car that is expected to sell volumes and have the styling borrowed to some extent from the Duster and the Renault Kwid to make it look like a familiar face from the Renault family.

The platform of the car is speculated to be in line with the Renault new car’s platform. This vehicle is expected to be seen at the Auto Expo 2020. This will baciscally be based on the CMF architecture on which the Renault Kwid and Triber are based on.

Renault HBC Launch

The launch of the Renault HBC will be around February 2020. The 2020 Renault HBC will be launched next year during the first half. In other words, the car will be making a debut as a concept first and then a product. It will be shown at the 2020 Auto Expo first. The launch will be before the monsoons begin during March and April. Renault was till now focusing on the Triber and upgrading their existing cars for BS6. Thus the launch of this car has been pushed ahead to 2020 after the BS6 norms come into commission. 

Renault HBC Price

The price of the new Renault will be very competitive. Renault will compete with the Tata Nexon, Honda WRV, Ford EcoSport, Mahindra XUV300, Maruti Vitara Brezza and the upcoming Hyundai Venue. This will be a very important segment where Renault can be expected to do decent numbers. The car will be made to compete in terms of space, features and most importantly price. We feel that the price of this vehicle will be under Rs 7 lakhs. The pricing structure will be similar to that of Renault Kwid and Triber. Both these vehicles are priced exactly under the segment pricing. We Expect it to range from Rs 5 Lakh to Rs 8 Lakhs.

Renault HBC Engine

The Renault HBC – Rs 7 lakh SUV’s engine will be derived from the Renault Triber. This means that it will make use of the 3 cylinders 1-litre ENERGY engine. The engine produces 72bhp and 96 Nm of torque. It will get a 5-speed manual transmission and this vehicle will also get an option of AMT too. The 2020 Renault HBC will be offered with petrol and diesel engine options. The diesel option will be made availble on the launch and so we do not know what it is going to be now. The Renault 1.5-litre diesel engine will not be available with this car as it will not comply with the upcoming BS6 norms.

Renault HBC Platform

Designed on the CMF-A+ platform, the HBC will be just around four-meters in length. Therefore, Renault has been highly successful with the Kwid and the CMF-A platform. The company already has 1.25 lakhs bookings for the Kwid, despite its limited dealership network. The CMF-A+ is a modified platform that can house bigger size vehicles and larger engines. After all, this will help Renault to retain a high level of localization.

CMF stands for Common modular Family. This platform is shared between Nissan Mitsubishi and Renault. It is used to reduce development costs. It consists of five groups of interchangeable, compatible modules: engine bay, cockpit, front underbody, rear underbody and electrical/electronic. According to the company, it’s not just a regular platform it’s a Manufacturing system. The actual platforms are built combining a limited set of common modules: a single module can be used for different platforms, covering different classes of vehicles, and so allowing a greater standardization of components between both Nissan, Renault and Mitsubishi.

Renault HBC Colours

The colors of the Renault HBC – Rs 7 lakh SUV will be the same as the new generation of the KWID. It will also feature the new sunset orange on the Renault Triber.

• Fiery Red
• Moonlight Silver
• Ice Cool White
• Outback Bronze
• Electric Blue
• Zanskar Blue

Renault HBC Design

It’s too early to comment on design but we can say on this car will be heavily influenced by Renault Kiwd’s boxy design and the Dusters bulky proportions. Some of the exterior highlights we expect this car will get are – DRLs, Projector headlamps, shark fin antenna, LED taillights, chrome accents, reverse parking camera, sunroof and diamond-cut alloy wheels. In conclusion, we are going to see a complex looking SUV that will remind of a Duster and KWID. Both these cars are good in comfort dynamics and this will also be carry forwarded in the new car design.

We can say that the French SUV will have a lot of intricate design touches on it as we saw on the Kwid. It will look butch and have an air of agressivness around it.

Renault HBC Features

We can expect features like ABS, EBD and dual front airbags offered on this car as standard. The Renault HBC will have a lot of features in the offerings.

• Navigation system
• Reverse camera
• Climate Control
• Steering mounted controls
• 16-inch tyres
• AC vents for second and third rows
• Climate control
• Second-row reclining seats
• Cruise Control
• Parking sensors

Therefore, it will also get a connectivity system like the one we have seen in the Hyundai Venue and the upcoming MG Hector. The connectivity system will be based on a cellular network system and will be given with a complimentary 4G sim card. This system will also slowly be integrated into other Renault vehicles. With the help of this, one can control their vehicle with the help of their mobile device. Basic functions like the infotainment system, Lock unlock as well as other complicated functions like switching on the AC in the vehicle will all be done with the help of this system.

Renault HBC Competition

The Renault HBC will be in competition with the Tata Nexon, Honda WRV, Ford EcoSport, Mahindra XUV300, Maruti Vitara Brezza and the Hyundai Venue. It will beat these vehicles at price but will lack on some premium features while doing so. The success that Renault has received because of this strategy on the Triber is visible and hence we can expect them doing the same with the Renault HBC.

Also read: 2020 Renault HBC to be a mix of Triber and Kwid