Renault India has stopped the production of its popular Duster compact SUV in the country. Retailed in several markets via the company's subsidiary brand Dacia, India was one of the few countries that still sold the first-generation Duster, whereas globally, the second-generation model has been on sale since 2017. The Duster was the SUV that made Renault a household name in India, and in a way, started the trend for compact SUVs in the country. However, compared to competitors, which offer better design, premium interior, and far more advanced features, the Renault Duster looks very much dated right now. Also, with the new Kiger subcompact SUV, which is currently the carmaker's best-selling model in India, Renault probably decided that the Duster was no longer needed, at least for now.
Also Read: Next-Gen Renault Duster May Also Now Skip India
The introduction of the new Kiger subcompact SUV, and falling sales could be the reason for Renault discontinuing the Duster
In addition, sales of Duster are also falling to triple and even double digit numbers. To put things into perspective, in the last six months, Renault sold less than 1,500 Duster SUVs in India, and in January 2022, wholesales of the Duster stood at zero. In comparison, in January 2022 alone, Hyundai sold 9,869 units of the Creta, while Kia sold 11,483 units of the Seltos. Right now, these two are the market leaders of the of this segment.
Earlier in 2019, Renault had said that it will skip the second-generation Duster for India and would directly bring in the third-gen models, which would be more India specific. And the production of the first-gen Duster was to be extended to have a representative in the compact SUV space until the new-gen model arrived. However, in 2021, the company said that with the Kiger here, it was re-evaluating its plan to make a new-gen Duster for India. This means, right now it's unclear whether the Duster nameplate will return to India or not.
Also Read: Planning to Buy a Used Renault Duster? Here Are Some Pros and Cons
Despite multiple updates the Renault Duster has become dated, and is not able compete with modern rivals like Hyundai Creta and Kia Seltos
Over the years, the Renault Duster has received several updates in India, and the most recent facelift was introduced in 2019. Later in 2020, the company introduced the Duster with a BS6 compliant 1.5-litre petrol motor and discontinued the diesel engine, and soon we saw the introduction of the 1.3-litre turbo-petrol engine as well. The company also offered an optional CVT automatic transmission with the Duster 1.3 Turbo.
Dealers will continue to sell the existing stocks of the Renault Duster, and the company is also officially offering benefits of up to Rs. 1.3 lakh on the SUV, in February 2022. Currently, the Duster is still listed on Renault India's official website, with prices starting at Rs. 9.86 lakh, going up to Rs. 14.25 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).
