After the mega launch of the Kwid in 2015, Renault had an action-packed few years in India. With the launch of the Triber MPV in 2019 followed by the sub-4m Kiger SUV in 2021, it had most bases covered in the mass segment. But the French car maker has been relatively quiet since then with no all-new model introduced in recent years. However, the situation will soon change, as Renault India MD and CEO Venkatraman Mamillapalle has reiterated Renault’s continued interest in India, confirming a slew of launches.
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The Triber was launched in 2019, and has been Renault's most popular model in India since.
A revamp for the Triber and Kiger is on the horizon, with the introduction of “next generation” models confirmed by Renault India. Both vehicles have been hailed for their value for money quotient and practicality, but have also been said to feel a bit tinny. While both received regular updates in terms of minor feature revisions, neither model has had a substantial mid-life facelift yet, and interestingly, Renault has announced what would be a generation change instead. So, expect both to be visually and mechanically quite different. Also, a more elaborate features list. The current range of both models start at Rs 6 lakh. Expect a 10-15 per cent increase when they are launched in the second half of this year.
The Kiger subcompact SUV, which shares its underpinnings with the Nissan Magnite, was launched in 2021.
The other big news is the mention of an “all-new SUV”, that is most likely the latest Duster. The legendary vehicle that set the compact SUV ball rolling in India back in 2012, ceased production after an extended 10-year-run. Strangely, Renault wasn’t ready to launch the second generation as it had earlier committed to the Captur – a slightly bigger and more expensive SUV. Unfortunately, that came nowhere close to the Duster’s success and faded away soon.
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Originally a Dacia (which is Renault’s Romanian subsidiary), the Duster is technically in its third generation now which was showcased in 2023 and previously previewed by the Bigster concept. It has been on sale since last year in international markets as a Renault or Dacia Duster as well as a Nissan Terrano. At launch it will come with only front-wheel drive and a petrol engine mated to a CVT or manual gearbox. The last Duster in India had an iconic and ageless design. It was known for its ride quality, efficiency and space. The new Duster looks much more modern yet boxy and is said to carry most other character traits of its predecessor. It is expected to have a much more feature-rich interior than its European version.
Latest-gen Duster retains the boxy silhouette of the original.
While the original Duster operated in the Rs 10-14 lakh price bracket, we expect the new one to start a couple of lakhs higher than before. Renault has previously confirmed it will launch a three-row SUV as well.
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With this announcement, Renault has once again reiterated its commitment and interest in India. With Nissan being in the news for its proposed merger with Honda, there is a lot of speculation on Renault and Nissan’s JV in India, where the Alliance shares the production and vehicle development facilities. Both Renault and Nissan have already reduced their stake in each other’s companies globally, in the post Carlos Ghosn era. There is no official statement yet on what happens to Indian operations in case the merger is completed, but it looks unlikely that a complete separation will happen any time soon given the complexities and tough market conditions.
