English: The new logo of Renault (Photo credit: Wikipedia)NEW DELHI: French carmaker Renault fired new competition in the fast-growing SUV market in India, driving in its Duster off-roader at an aggressive Rs 7.19 lakh (petrol, ex-showroom Delhi). The 5-seter Duster, one of Renault's most ambitious products in India, will compete with models like Mahindra's Scorpio and Tata's Safari. Renault has priced the entry diesel variant at Rs 7.99 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi), which is a little higher than the Scorpio's base variant but lower than the Safari. With Duster, Renault hopes not only to bag SUV customers in its fold, but also steal some — or rather many — from the sedan market. The growing love of Indians for SUVs can make Duster a tough rival to models like Honda City, Hyundai Verna and Volkswagen Vento. Renault — that sells the Koleos compact SUV, Pulse small car and Fluence sedan in India — sold a paltry 1,500 units last year and hopes to multiply this to 30,000 units this year, mainly riding on Duster.
"We expect it to be a game changer for this segment," Renault India MD Marc Nassif said. The Duster, which carries 60% localisation, is originally a product of Renault group company Dacia, a Romanian manufacturer that was acquired by Renault in 1999. The Duster sports a 1,500cc diesel engine that offers two options — a 110bhp 6-speed transmission or a 85bhp 5-speed transmission (both manual). While the diesel engines are manufactured in India, the 1,600cc petrol engine will be imported.
Edited By Cen Fox Post Team
