Renault’s Venue Rival HBC Makes Its Spy Shot Debut!

• The HBC will debut at the Auto Expo with a launch likely around mid-2020.
• It will be underpinned by the same platform as the Triber.
• Under the hood will be a 1.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine.
• The HBC is expected to be priced from Rs 5.5 lakh to Rs 10.5 lakh.

Every other carmaker in India is eyeing the busy sub-4m SUV space. Renault is also one of them and what it is bringing to the fight is the HBC (codename). Highly anticipated and expected to debut at the upcoming Auto Expo 2020, the Brezza-rivaling HBC has been spied testing for the first time ever giving us an idea of what we can expect. 

Even though heavily camouflaged, our first impression of the front-end is that it is unmistakably a Renault. It looks like a bigger Kwid thanks to the slim headlamps and the family grille. Overall, the HBC looks more inclined towards a crossover due to its flowing lines. Being based on the same CMF-A platform as the Triber, we presume it involves sharing of parts to keep its price under check. 

The spied test mule seems to be one of the top-spec variants as we can spot alloy wheels (possibly 16 inchers) and a rear wash wiper. Detailed spy shots of the cabin are not available, but we expect it to share most of the components with the Triber. 

Under the hood will be a turbocharged version of the Triber’s 1.0-litre Energy petrol engine paired with a 5-speed manual gearbox. It might also be Nissan’s ‘HR10’ three-cylinder turbocharged motor good enough for 100PS of power. The powertrain on offer will be BS6 compliant and is expected to make its debut in the Triber. Since the Triber is also gaining an AMT, we hope to see the same in the HBC. 

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We don’t expect to see an oil burner under the hood, at least at launch. At present, Renault doesn’t have a diesel engine on offer as the tried-and-tested 1.5-litre K9K diesel motor isn't getting updated to comply with the BS6 norms. 

The HBC or Kiger will see light at the 2020 Auto Expo. Meanwhile, Renault is planning to launch the sub-4m SUV by mid-2020. Rivals include the Vitara Brezza, Hyundai Venue, Ford EcoSport, Mahindra XUV300 and the Tata Nexon. We expect competition to get intense as  Volkswagen, Toyota and Skoda are also gearing up to introduce sub-4m SUVs. Renault is expected to price the HBC between the Triber (Rs 4.95 lakh - Rs 6.49 lakh) and the Duster (Rs 8 lakh - Rs 12.5 lakh).

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