Renault Duster, Flavor of the Season

The small SUVs and compact crossovers are the season’s flavor. The BMW X1and Audi Q3 has established a new segment of baby SUVs in the Indian market. Renault has also followed the footsteps of these two and decided to launch its small family SUV, Renault Duster in India. Renault, the French automobile manufacturer, has spread all over the world and is selling its vehicles in 118 countries. Renault is a late entrant in the Indian market. They had established a JV with Mahindra & Mahindra when they entered India but this was dissolved in 2010. After this, Renault gave a fresh start by establishing Renault India Pvt. Ltd., and has also established a facility in Chennai with along with Nissan.

The SUV market in India is increasing at a growth rate of 15% and trends suggest that it will growth with a rate of 25% in the upcoming years. That’s why every company has been planning and a few have already launched their respective SUVs in India or those already present are tweaking their existing models. In this process, Renault Duster, Tata Safari Storme, Ford EcoSport, etc. are going to hit the Indian soil soon.

Duster was showcased at the Auto Expo India, earlier this year. Though Renault has already taken a lot of time to launch the Duster, this has worked in their favor. The delay has helped the company create a lot of hype among the media and people. Renault has marketed this SUV as “world’s cheapest SUV”. This has brought in a lot of positive hype for the compact SUV car because price always play a crucial role in the Indian market.

Renault Duster looks very aggressive and striking. The aerodynamically crafted muscular body, large headlamps, chrome plated larger front grille adds to the stunning looks of the SUV. The SUV is roomy and has been furnished with comfy interiors. The power is a major factor whenever we talk about a SUV.  Thus, Renault has blessed this SUV with powerful engines and offers this SUV in both petrol and diesel variants. The diesel variant has been blessed with 1.5L DCI engine, which also powers Nissan Micra. Renault will give two different power options, 110bhp and 85bhp in the diesel variant. The petrol variant will come with a 1.6L engine, which will churn out 105bhp. The diesel variant is expected to give an awesome mileage of around 18kmpl.

Renault Duster is expected to come in with a price range of Rs. 7 to Rs. 11 Lakhs. The Renault Duster price, mileage, looks and brand name Renault make it a perfect small family SUV. Renault has started the bookings for Duster last week, and the response towards it is tremendous which shows the craze for this compact SUV.

The other SUVs like Tata Safari, Mahindra Scorpio, etc. are also lie in the same price range. But Renault Duster lags behind in terms of power, seating capacity and off-road abilities in comparison to these SUVs. There is a little possibility that Duster will give competition to these biggies. Being a small SUV with seating capacity of five passengers, Duster might manage to attract the buyers of entry level sedans and premium hatches. Renault Duster is coming with affordable price and fuel efficiency will most probably make it a game changer in the SUV market of India.