Associated Motorways Private Limited (AMW) last week launched the French-based Renault brand in Sri Lanka with the introduction of its segment defining cars, the revolutionary SUV-styled compact hatchback model, Renault Kwid and the SUV, the Renault Duster. According to officials from Renault India, Sri Lanka is a priority market aptly demonstrated by the fact the island nation will receive the first shipment of Renault India exports in mid-June, prior to a global rollout of their models in the coming months.
“We had expressed our intent of taking the Renault brand to important countries in the SAARC region, and we are living up to this promise with the inauguration of our first distributorship in Sri Lanka,” Sumit Sawhney, Country CEO and Managing Director, Groupe Renault, Indian Subcontinent Operations said at the launch held at the JAIC Hilton in Colombo.
He noted that the company, which will deliver cars manufactured at the facility located in Chennai, India, also plans to open five Renault service outlets and five after-sales outlets in Sri Lanka in the year 2017.
Meanwhile, Managing Director of AMW, Samantha Rajapaksa said the firm, which recently opened a state-of-the-art Renault distributorship facility at Gangarama in Colombo, will offer customers an excellent brand experience – from the test drive, to delivery and after-sales support.
“Renault is one of the foremost automotive brands across the globe and it is an honour to be associated with this automotive giant. With Renault Kwid, we will offer our customers in Sri Lanka game-changer compact hatchback which has been designed and developed by Renault’s global teams, making it a truly international car,” he said.
Rajapaksa noted that the 800cc Kwid based on the CMF-A platform has been a great success story in India, following its entry into the market in September last year, and is competitively priced amongst the entry level hatchbacks in Sri Lanka.
Available in five distinct colors, the car has best-in-class exterior dimensions, interior space and claims to run with a fuel efficiency of 25.17 kilo metres per liter. The vehicle also stands apart from the comparative models such as the Maruti Suzuki Alto and the Hyundai EON with a higher ground clearance of 180 mm and a large boot capacity of 300 litres.
Other features seen on the top-end variant include power steering, AC, front power windows, fog lights, keyless entry and central locking, a 7-inch touchscreen MediaNAV system with Bluetooth, USB, AUX-in, an optional driver airbag and some design customisations.
On the other hand, the All New Duster range which includes a first of its kind 6 speed Easy – R AMT and also boasts of more than 32 new changes along with superior engineering, styling, safety and comfort features.
For over 65 years, AMW has grown to become a pre-eminent group in the automotive sector while Renault is one of the fastest growing global automotive brands with 118 years of automotive industry history.
