Renault Duster crossover is one of Renault’s most awaited vehicles for India. Not only because of India’s affinity to every vehicle that even remotely looks like an SUV, but also because of the expected price tag of the Duster – Rs 7 lakh! Now AutoCarIndia has caught the firstever spy pictures of Renault Duster doing trail-run in India soil. Quite a few components are going to be localised to keep the price tag of the Renault Duster as low as possible.
The Renault Duster uses the same platform as the Mahindra Verito / Reanult Logan and like the Renault Fluence, the entire suspension setup as well as the air-conditioning system of the Duster will be specifically tuned for Indian conditions. Once the tuning is in place, testing of the localised components will begin.
According to AutoCarIndia, Renault will launch the Duster with five variants which include a base 1.6-litre petrol at a price of approximately Rs 7 lakh and the 1.5-litre diesel that currently powers the Fluence. The diesel engine will be available in two states of tune — an entry-level 85bhp version and a top-of-the-line 110bhp variant. The 110bhp motor is the ‘Step 4’ version (see box) of the K9K engine.
The Duster is based on the Logan and, in its European guise, has similar interiors to the saloon. The Indian market will get a completely revamped version since Renault is aware that it cannot get away with dull interiors. For example, the power window switches for the rear passengers will be moved from the front dash to the more conventional location on the door pads.
Unlike the Ford EcoSport, the Duster won’t qualify for excise cuts as it is longer than four metres. But you can still expect aggressive pricing in the range of Rs 7-11 lakh. Renault has ambitious plans of selling 50,000 units every year, a part of which will be exports to right-hand-drive markets like the UK. Renault will unveil the Duster at the Auto Expo next month followed by a launch by mid-2012.
Also see – Renault Duster to hit the Indian roads soon
Renault Duster gets LPG variant in Europe, will India get this LPG variant?
See more pictures of Renault-Dacia Duster –
Source – AutoCarIndia
