Rendered image of Renault XBA hatchback – Source.
In a segment that’s populated/dominated by the likes of the Maruti Suzuki Alto, French carmaker Renault is said to be gearing up for an imminent launch of its all-new budget hatchback – the Renault XBA. The XBA hatchback will be under the sub-4 metre mark and would be priced at just under INR 4 lakh (appx.). In some of our earlier reads, we have brought you various spy images of this hatchback being tested on our roads and also mentioned that the XBA will feature Renault-Nissan’s highly flexible India-specific CMF-A (Common Module Family – Affordable), a platform which it’ll be sharing with Datsun’s upcoming Redi-Go.
Motoroids exclusive spy image of the Renault XBA hatchback.
We mentioned earlier that this sub-4 metre hatchback would be powered by an all-new twin-cam, 4-valves/cylinder, 0.8-litre three-pot petrol engine. This new engine has been codenamed BR-8 and could eventually be mated to an automated manual transmission. However, according to a source, the Renault XBA hatchback won’t be powered by a diesel engine any time in the near future. That said, it might be offered with a more punchy 1.0-litre unit somewhere down the line.
The Alto will be one of the main rivals of the XBA.
Renault cites the lack of a diesel option on the standpoint that the XBA’s engine bay was primarily sculpted to fit the tiny three-cylinder BR-series of engines. But also, the company pointed out that future regulations could end up making diesel fuel lose its dominant hold on the market. This is of course, attributable to the ever diminishing price gap between diesel and petrol. You can expect to see the Renault XBA hatchback in showrooms before the end of next month.