Renault Duster. EDIT : Now confirmed for India!

[rpmx1000]

Mod Note : The Renault Duster Official Review has been uploaded at this link (Renault Duster : Official Review). Please continue the discussion over on the new thread.




Friends, BHPians, countrymen:
From overdrive of a few days back..
Dacia treads into 4x4 arena. - motoring news - News : Overdrive

The article says this is built for 'emerging markets'. If they launch this in India with 4x4 option, it would be the hit of the decade if they get the pricing right.Indicruz - challenger? And the likes of the sad Premier Rio would run for cover!

The Indian market weeps for such a vehicle.If only they,

Send in your comments, what do you know the Nissan/Renault folks might get ideas and do the right thing! We want it in the diesel avatar, of course. 111 bhp diesel sounds just right.
The looks are very very Nissan and very unlike Dacia.
The pictures I have put up below are from overdrive and the copyright is theirs.

Mods: wasn't sure where this post fitted in.Guess it's appropriate all right but the intended discussion is meant for how it would do if launched in India.And of course, the name should be a little more innovative unless you're not reminded of dusty blackboards and the block used to wipe them.. Duster!!

[hillram]

Duster really does need to shake off the Dust !!!

[ph03n!x]

Even if this is launched, hope they don't call it 'Duster' here. There will be one too many kids crying to their dad coz their friends said they 'travel in a duster'

[classiccars]

If you spend some time in French small towns and country side you will quickly realise just how popular the Dacia range is amongst the price-conscious. Recent visits have convinced me that a large swathe of the population simply do not give a hoot about brand or perceived ‘prestige‘. They just want something that works and doesn’t cost a fortune while it does so. That is why, outside the large cities you hardly ever see an upmarket badge or a luxury 4X4. (Unlike the UK, where the opposite is true)

I hear that the Duster will be built at Dacia’s Pitesti plant in Romania, and will go on sale in Europe from spring 2010, with prices starting under €15,000 (around £13,500)
This Dacia - a kind of spiritual successor to the Lada Niva of distant memory is simply a no-frills vehicle that will appeal to anyone who lives in remote or mountainous areas owing to it ‘s ground clearance and availability of all wheel drive.

[quattroa4]

price gona be so critical for this product in indian market if renault decides to launch it here, otherwise another logan in waiting!!!!

[ikoneer]

OT:
I was reading through the Jopasu car duster reviews and saw the link for this thread. I thought this was another car duster that has come for sale.

.

[shankar.balan]

this has a distinct possibility of working here in the smaller urban + country 4x4 SUV market.
but it will not have the capacity of a 7 seater since it is a little 5 seat crossover type thing.

if priced well for India, powered by diesel and backed with great service plus lower maintenance/servicing costs it s a sure success

[MaserQ]

Renault should seriously think about bringing the Duster to our shores. There is a market for a reliable yet affordable alternative to the Scorpio/Safari.

[kapss]

For Renault to be able to price the Duster well here, it would need to roll it out from the Nashik plant to allow for cost savings from sharing the assembly line with the Logan. Rolling from the Chennai plant would not provide these cost savings and hence the price of the SUV might go up.
Now for sure Mahindra would not be too keen to have Duster rolling out of the Nashik plant and go to the same showroom as the Scorpio at the same price point.
That seems to be the same reason for Logan MCV not making it to India. It would have cannibalized Xylo sales.

[rjalihal]

I feel the Duster will compete head on with the likes of Scorpio/Safari. Its about time we get a nice affordable import SUV!

[HappyWheels]

Originally Posted by ikoneer

OT:
I was reading through the Jopasu car duster reviews and saw the link for this thread. I thought this was another car duster that has come for sale...

Guilty as charged here also!

Originally Posted by rjalihal

... Its about time we get a nice affordable import SUV!

Sigh! "Affordable" & "import" in the same sentence. Pray we get such a a time soon.

Originally Posted by kapss

... Now for sure Mahindra would not be too keen to have Duster rolling out of the Nashik plant and go to the same showroom as the Scorpio at the same price point.
That seems to be the same reason for Logan MCV not making it to India. It would have cannibalized Xylo sales.

Now that the JV is out, I hope Renault will bring these into the Indian market. (The Mahindra - Renault JV is called off, isn't it???)

[ashutoshb]

Renault also plans to launch an SUV for Rs 7-8 lakh in 2011. This would strengthen its position in the below-Rs10-lakh segment, posing a challenge to Mahindra Xylo and Toyota Innova.
The car would use the Logan platform, which is handy with the car maker.

Source: Stylish hatchback to be Renault’s big bet in small car segment

This no doubt is the Duster, as it is the only SUV based on the Logan platform! Wow, this is what I've been looking for, a proper modern SUV for 8 lakhs!

YouTube - Dacia Duster Off-Road

YouTube - Dacia Duster test drive by autocar.co.uk

Mods, can we please move it to the Indian Car Scene section? And this deserves a separate thread!

[HammerHead]

Renault also plans to launch an SUV for Rs 7-8 lakh in 2011. This would strengthen its position in the below-Rs10-lakh segment, posing a challenge to Mahindra Xylo and Toyota Innova. The car would use the Logan platform, which is handy with the car maker.

If the highlighted information is true than the only think I can imagine is "logan MCV/Steppe.
IMO Duster at 7-8 lakh is too good to believe!! And the other question is do they need an SUV to compete with MUV?

[ashutoshb]

The last thing Renault would do is to launch a product which looks like the Logan!

There were plans of the MCV being manufactured by the then Mahindra-Renault jt venture, but it was dropped.

The Duster is being offered in Europe with prices starting from €11900, which is roughly around 6.8 lakh rupees. It is not impossible to launch the Duster here in 7-8L, and I think it is the Duster they are talking about.

[aargee]

With a little more height increase, it looks like Tata Winger to me; ideal for another ambulance. Frankly speaking, I'd prefer Xylo over this one even if it cost 1 or 2 Lakhs lesser to Xylo. Any idea on the technical specification?