Last week saw the introduction of the Renault Kwid, a compact, inexpensive A-segment crossover, targeted at the hyper-competitive Indian market but will also be sold as a global car. Now, the Renault-Nissan Alliance has released a new video documenting the development of the car as well as how exactly it has managed to pull the price down to just three to four Indian lakhs (RM17k-23k).

Despite being so cheap, the Kwid has SUV-inspired styling that distinguishes itself from other cars in the A-segment market. There are also a number of features that aren't even available on most cars two to three sizes up, such as a seven-inch touchscreen with navigation and Bluetooth connectivity.

So, how did Renault do it? The Kwid is the first car to be based on a new CMF-A platform – part of the Alliance's Common Module Family (CMF) – which is considerably more cost-effective than the already bargain-basement B0 platform underpinning the Duster, Sandero and Logan.

The CMF-A architecture was also developed with India in mind, allowing the Kwid to feature a 97% localisation rate in the country – unheard of in the company's history. However, the car will not be exported from India to other markets but will instead be produced regionally, because a high localisation rate in every market is a key element in maximising the efficiency of CMF-A.

In India, the Renault Kwid squares off against the Hyundai Eon and the Maruti Suzuki Alto 800; over here, however, with higher levels of kit and safety, it will probably be priced to compete with the Perodua Myvi and the Proton Iriz. So, what do you think – would you get a conventional national B-segment hatch, or a French-badged crossover from a size down?