Renault Bridger Patented In India Ahead Of 2027 Launch: 5 Versions Coming!
The patent images have surfaced online, and the SUV looks similar to the concept that was showcased to us in March this year. The SUV comes with a very boxy and rugged design, which gives it a proper SUV character.
In the patent images, we see an almost vertical front bumper with a thick black strip running across the width of the SUV. The grille meets sleek Duster-like rectangular headlamp units with triangular LED DRLs and turn indicators in them.
The Bridger concept gets a muscular-looking bumper along with a faux skid plate at the bottom. Coming to the side, the boxiness of the SUV is even more evident. The patent image here is actually finished in a dual-tone shade. We see black-coloured roof rails, and the SUV gets regular pull-type door handles, while the rear door handles are integrated into the C-pillar, just like on the Duster. The machine-cut alloy wheels with a 5-spoke design can also be seen here.
At the rear, the Bridger concept gets a tailgate-mounted spare wheel, and it also gets vertically stacked LED tail lamps that are finished in a unique design.
Just like the front, the rear also gets a faux skid plate. The Renault Bridger is a special SUV because it is being developed by Renault’s team in India at their Chennai plant. The Bridger is based on the R-GMP architecture. With the Bridger concept, Renault aims to come up with an SUV that is compact, agile, safe, and affordable.
The Bridger concept SUV has been developed in such a way that it looks compact on the outside but offers an extremely spacious cabin. It should be noted that it has been registered as a Toy car. It is possible that Renault is planning to launch an official scale model of the Bridger SUV in the market around the same time as the launch next year.
The SUV will be an “SUV from India for the world.” One of the major attractions of the Bridger concept is that it is being developed as a true multi-energy vehicle. What this means is that the Bridger will be offered with petrol, turbo-petrol, hybrid, and even EV powertrains. In fact, we could see five versions of the same SUV in the market.
Renault will be offering the SUV with a 1.2-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine. This is a new engine that is currently under development. It is expected to be a 4-cylinder unit that will generate around 80–90 Ps and come with both manual and automatic transmission options.
The next engine option is going to be the 1.2-litre turbo-petrol engine that will be derived from the 1.3-litre turbo engine from the Duster. This engine is for those who want performance. It is expected to generate around 120 Ps and would be offered with manual, automatic, or DCT gearbox options.
The third engine option would be a strong-hybrid variant. It will use a 1.2-litre, 3-cylinder engine that would run on the Miller cycle. This engine will be offered in a smaller package, which would help in accommodating the battery, hybrid hardware, electric motor, and Miller cycle technology. This would offer a good balance between performance and efficiency.
It will be based on Horse Powertrain’s HR12 engine architecture, which allows brands to accommodate a hybrid system into an EV or ICE vehicle without any complications.
The fourth option is the CNG fuel variant. Usually, we have seen brands offer CNG options with naturally aspirated petrol engines in this segment. However, with the Bridger concept, Renault will offer a 1.2-litre turbo-petrol engine with CNG. This would be a factory-fitted unit, and there are chances that the tank will be placed under the body.
As mentioned above, the Bridger is based on a true multi-energy platform, and in the future, Renault will launch an electric version of this SUV in the market too. It is expected to be launched by 2028, and the SUV might be offered with 35 kWh and 55 kWh battery pack options.