Renault Kwid
Renault Kwid 1.0-litreRenault India

After launching Kwid with 1.0-litre engine in August, Renault India is gearing up for the launch of the Automated Manual Transmission (AMT)-equipped Kwid variant. Many Renault dealerships across the country have started accepting bookings for the Kwid AMT for a token amount of Rs 10,000.

The Kwid AMT variant will be launched in India on November 7, reports ET Auto. The automatic transmission will be offered only on the top RXT trim in 1.0-litre engine. The unit will be called Easy-R just like the Duster AMT. It will have a rotary unit that lets you choose between neutral, drive and reverse modes. The rotary knob will be positioned at centre bottom of the dashboard next to the control button for door lock.

The AMT version is expected to be the most expensive variant of Kwid. Current range topped 1.0-litre RXT (O) is priced at Rs 3.95 lakh, ex-showroom Delhi. The Kwid AMT is likely to be pricier by Rs 30,000.

The Kwid was originally launched in September 2015 with a 799cc three-cylinder petrol motor tuned to churn out 53bhp and a peak torque of 72Nm with a five-speed manual gearbox. Later, Renault introduced the 1.0 litre engine that can churn out 67hp of power and 91Nm of torque.

The small car has been enjoying a successful run with over 1.65 lakh bookings so far. The waiting period for Kwid continues to stand at six months, depending on the variant and the city. The car recorded 56,028 unit sales in the first half of FY 2016-17.

Riding on Kwid, the Indian subsidiary of the company was placed seventh in the global market of Renault in terms of sales volume in the period of January-August 2016. It was placed 18th in the same period last year.