NEW DELHI: Renault has proved itself successful in the Indian market with its entry-level car, the KWID. Now, the French manufacturer wants to enter the sub-continental countries through exports.
Renault India operations CEO and managing director, Sumit Sawhney, recently said to PTI, “Last month we started exporting Duster and Kwid to Sri Lanka. This month we will be entering Nepal while we also prepare to enter Bhutan.” Not restricting itself to just Asian markets, the Indian wing of the French manufacturer is also eyeing other emerging markets like Africa.
“We are working on strategy for exports to South Africa, hopefully, it will be finalised soon. Besides, we are looking at other countries in Africa,” Sawhney added. As for the Americas, Renault India has already prompted the manufacture of the Kwid and is looking to export components for the small car. “Certain sets of components will be supplied from here in India,” said the MD.
Along with its remarkable success in India’s domestic passenger vehicle market, Renault has also shown remarkable growth in terms of its exports as well. It shipped out 441 units in the first quarter of the current financial year as opposed to just 56 units in the corresponding period last year.
In the country, the Kwid registered a near-200 per cent growth in the said quarter while in July, the company registered a 600-plus per cent growth; courtesy the Kwid that ended up as being the sixth highest selling car in India for the month. In order to meet this towering demand for the small car, the company has also ramped up production at its facilities. “We have started the third shift at our Chennai plant. We are producing about 9,000-9,500 units of the Kwid now,” Sawhney said.
