French car major Renault has received over 25,000 bookings for its entry-level car, Kwid, in less than two weeks since the company launched it in India at a starting price of Rs 2.57 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).

Renault Kwid, which comes in four variants, will compete with Maruti Suzuki’s Alto and Hyundai’s Eon, besides Tata Motor’s Nano.

“The Renault Kwid has created a huge excitement since its launch and we are thrilled with the response it has received just at the onset of the festive season,” Renault India Operations, Country CEO and MD, Sumit Sawhney, said in a statement.

“The Indian consumer has shown tremendous confidence and trust in the Renault brand. The initial response has been very exhilarating and the bookings are constantly increasing.”

The tier II and tier III cities have also shown huge response reaching out to dealerships with inquiries and booking requests for the car, he added.

“The Renault Kwid’s delivery will start in the festive season beginning next week and will be available across all our dealerships across the country,” Sawhney said.

Kwid, which was launched on September 24, is powered by the all-new 800 cc engine delivering mileage of 25.17 kmpl, making it the country’s most fuel-efficient petrol car.

Renault is betting big on the Kwid as it chases a market share of 5 per cent in the Indian market by 2017, from the current level of just below 2 per cent.

With the new model, it’s entering the mini car segment, which accounts for nearly 25 per cent of the total automobile sales volumes in the country.