Buying the Renault Kwid, Triber and Kiger in 2024 has become exciting with the French automaker Renault giving them a facelift in terms of cosmetics as well as functions. The company has also announced that it will launch five new products over the next three years.  

The announcement comes within a few months of the new Duster compact SUV breaking cover in Europe. Of the five new products scheduled to be launched over the next three years, the first is said to be the Duster therefore (Read more about this in the January-February 2024 issue of Motoring Trends). The earlier generation vehicle was discontinued sometime back as it eventually lost traction in an increasingly competitive market. 

To realise its ambitions in India which is a highly competitive auto market in the world and showing good growth, Renault it is not surprising to learn will invest part of the Eur 3 billion it has earmarked in India as one of its four key international destinations.   

Other than the likelihood of Duster, the five new launches will include the next generation avatars of the Kiger and Triber. These will carry substantial local content and manufacturing prowess as part of the 'Make in India' strategy. 

With a manufacturing plant at Oragadam, Chennai, Renault in India also has a logistics and technology centre other than a design studio in Mumbai. As part of its commitment to the Indian market, the French automaker – present in India through the Renault Nissan Alliance that was put in place by the erstwhile CEO Carlos Gohn – has enhanced the existing Kwid small car range for 2024 by introducing three new dual-tone exterior body colours. The vehicle also gets eight-inch touchscreen Media NAV system on the RXL(O) variant, The addition of RXL(O) Easy-R AMT variant means the Kwid is now available with an AMT transmission as well. 

The 2024 Triber gets driver seat armrest, powerfold outside rear-view mirrors (ORVM), seven-inch TFT instrument cluster, wireless charger and new Stealth Black body colour. The RXT variant gets a rearview camera and a rear wiper. The RXL variant gets rear AC vents with dedicated AC control for the second and third rows. Besides LED cabin lamps, the Triber gets a PM2.5 air filter and rear seatbelt reminder. The Triber is already available with AMT transmission. 

The stylish Kiger gets luxurious semi-leatherette seats, leatherette steering wheel, a welcome and goodbye sequence with auto fold outside rear-view mirrors (ORVM) and bezel-less autodim inside rear-view mirror (IRVM). On the turbo engine variant, the rear brake callipers are painted red. Available with an AMT transmission already, the vehicle gets auto AC, powerfold ORVM, cruise control, LED cabin lamps on all the variants. 

To its Indian customers, Renault is offering two years standard warranty and seven years extended warranty on the 2024 vehicle range.

Venkatram Mamillapalle, Country CEO and Managing Director, Renault India Operations, said, “Over the next three years, we are set to embark on an exhilarating journey with five product launches, encompassing both entirely new models and the next generation from our current product range. This significant stride forward is not only a testament to our commitment but also marks the introduction of the all-new Renault brand identity to the Indian market. Our primary goal is to deliver exceptional value, create delightful experiences, and evoke a renewed sense of pride among Renault owners.”

Mumbai-based automotive major Mahindra & Mahindra has announced its wholesales for April 2025 at 84,170 vehicles, a growth of 19 percent, including exports.

The auto major sold a total of 52,330 SUVs in the domestic market, which was 28 percent higher than 41,008 SUVs sold for the same period last year. Commercial vehicle sales in the domestic market came at 22,989 units, which was 4 percent YoY. 

Veejay Nakra, President, Automotive Division, Mahindra & Mahindra, said, “Building on the strong momentum of last year's performance, we began the year on a strong note in April by achieving SUV sales of 52,330 units, a growth of 28 percent and total vehicle sales of 84,170 units, a 19 percent growth over the same month last year. These numbers indicate the strength of our portfolio and customer offerings.”

JSW MG Motor India, a leading passenger vehicles manufacturer, has announced its wholesales for April 2025.

The company reported sales of 5,829 units, which was 23 percent higher over April 2024, when it sold 4,725 vehicles.

Interestingly, the automaker's popular offering, the Windsor EV, has continued to be the top-selling electric passenger vehicle for the seventh month in a row.

JSW MG Motor India's Windsor EV has now gone home to over 20,000 customers.

Maruti Suzuki India, the country’s largest carmaker, has reported its wholesales of 179,791 units in April 2025, marking a 7 percent increase compared to 168,089 units sold in April 2024. The growth was primarily propelled by strong performance in utility vehicles and a sharp rise in export volumes.

Domestic sales, including passenger and light commercial vehicles, remained flat with 142,053 units, as compared to 140,448 units in April 2024. Within this, light commercial vehicles (LCVs) like the Super Carry saw a significant jump of 34.2 percent, with sales rising to 3,349 units from 2,496 units last year.

In the passenger vehicle segment, SUVs such as the Brezza, Ertiga, Grand Vitara and others recorded a 4.4 percent increase, selling 59,022 units compared to 56,553 in the previous year. However, sales for Eeco declined by 5.2 percent, while the mini segment (Alto, S-Presso) saw a sharp 45 percent drop, falling to 6,332 units from 11,519 units. The compact segment, which includes high-volume models like the Baleno and Swift, grew by 8.1 percent, reaching 61,591 units.

Sales to Toyota Kirloskar Motor rose sharply by 79.2 percent, from 5,481 units to 9,827 units, indicating a growing demand for cross-badged products.

The standout performer was the export segment, which surged 26 percent to 27,911 units from 22,160 units in April 2024. This strong export growth helped bolster the company’s overall numbers despite weaknesses in domestic sub-segments.

While some product lines such as the mid-size sedan Ciaz (-63 percent) continue to struggle.

Tata Motors reported total wholesales of 72,753 units for April 2025, reflecting a 6 percent year-on-year decline from 77,521 units in April 2024.

The passenger vehicle (PV) segment, including electric vehicles, accounted for 45,532 units, down 5 percent from 47,983 units in the same month last year. Within this, domestic PV sales dropped 6 percent to 45,199 units, while international business (IB) sales rose significantly to 333 units, up from 100 units. Electric vehicle sales (domestic + IB) declined 16 percent year-on-year to 5,318 units.

Commercial vehicle (CV) sales stood at 27,221 units, marking an 8 percent YoY drop from 29,538 units in April 2024. Domestic CV sales contracted 10 percent to 25,764 units, while CV exports (IB) grew 43 percent to 1,457 units. Key sub-segments like Small Commercial Vehicles (SCV) and pickups saw a steep 23 percent decline.

Despite growth in certain categories like ILMCV trucks and passenger carriers, overall sales momentum was tempered across both PV and CV segments.