Renault-Nissan to take on Hyundai Eon, Maruti Alto with low cost small car i2

Renault India is all set to get into bed with Nissan with the two companies all set to jointly engineer a new entry level product. The new low cost small car will be a global product called the i2 that will be branded under both a Renault badge as well as Nissan’s Datsun nameplate. The vehicle will be positioned as a competitor to the Maruti Alto and the Hyundai Eon hatchbacks in India.

Renault i2

So far, Renault India has been focusing on creating its own niche identity in the Indian market with sales figures and volumes not really being their primary concerns. With the announcement of the collaborative project, however, the company seems to have set its sights firmly on developing an entry level car that would get them a leg in the mostly hotly contested market in the country.

The Renault i2 small car is expected to be a hot seller in the domestic Indian market and expected to be manufactured at their new Oragadam facility that lies just off Chennai. Aimed at the global small car segment, the Renault i2 is set to be the least expensive product by the Renault-Nissan alliance in the world and is expected to be exported to other parts of the world from India.