Renault loses steam as buyers shift gears

Car maker is falling behind its goal to reach market share of 5% in India in absence of new launches

French car maker Renault was the fastest growing brand in the domestic car market last year. The aspirational Indian buyer was looking for a new car that looked and felt like a sports utility vehicle, and Renault seemed to have the answer.
 
Its stylishly-designed small car, the Kwid, was pulling buyers away from competitors. Riding on the success of a single product, Renault clocked a growth of 88 per cent in domestic sales in FY17, significantly higher than the market growth of nine per cent. 
 
In FY17, the first full year since launch in September 2015, the Kwid