Renault to hike Kwid production to reduce waiting period

Renault’s Kwid has been accepted well by the consumers and has been registering good sales figures since its launch in 2015. The Kwid currently faces a long waiting period which the company aims to reduce with the implementation of a third working shift. The Kwid is produced at the Nissan-Renault plant in Chennai which manufactures vehicles of both companies under one roof. The vehicles range from small cars to SUVs from both manufacturers. The Oragadam plant presently is capable for rolling out 1,000 units per day working on a two-shift cycle.

The implementation of three working shifts will help increase the daily production count to 1,600 units. This hike in productivity is expected to reduce the waiting period of the Kwid from 6-7 months to 3 months. More preference will be given to Renault-badged products, which is close to 80 per cent of the total output. The remaining will be for Nissan vehicles for the domestic market as well as the export of the Micra.

The alliance plant is currently in the process of recruiting manpower for the third shift. Around 2,000 persons will be hired directly while another 2,500 persons are expected to be enrolled indirectly. The company aims to produce 10,000 units by March-end once the third shift is executed.

Nissan's current product range include the Micra, Sunny, and the Terrano, while the Renault has a product line-up which consists of the Kwid, Pulse, Scala, Duster, and the Lodgy.