French automaker, Renault has announced that it is planning on starting a 3rd shift to tackle the overwhelming demand faced for the company’s entry level hatchback - the Renault Kwid . The car garnered a lot of attention when it was launched, courtesy the plethora of segment first features like a touchscreen infotainment system, digital instrument cluster and the SUV inspired styling. The long feature list is the primary reason for the ridiculous waiting period, which is as high as 6 months in some parts of the country!
Currently, Renault manufactures 1,000 units every day. This figure is expected to increase to 1600 units after the commencement of operations for the 3rd shift. The carmaker is expected to execute its plan on April 1st and recruitment process for direct hiring of 2,000 direct employees and 2,500 indirect employees is already underway. This will result in reducing the Kwid’s waiting period to 3 months. The car is manufactured at Renault’s Oragadam plant, which is located near Chennai. With the added manufacturing capacity, it is expected that the automaker will be able to manufacture 10,000 units of the Kwid each month.
The Renault Kwid was launched last year and featured a price tag of Rs. 2.56 lacs (Ex-showroom, New Delhi). The outgoing model features an all-new 3 cylinder 799cc petrol motor, which is capable of churning out 54bhp of peak power output and 72Nm of peak torque. Fuel efficiency is rated at 25.17km/l.
The French automaker will soon introduce a 1.0-litre version of its highly revered hatchback, which will be offered with an Easy-R AMT gearbox.
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Source : CarDekho