[shankar.balan]

the fluence is expected to take on the cruze and civic etc hence I guess they are pricing it accordingly
the koleos is supposed to play in the mid premium suv segment so i suppose its price will be in the 15 -18 range.
the duster on the other hand (as per its dna and original conception) is supposed to be a functional and affordable suv so I dont think they will overdo the pricing on it. however, if they do overprice it, renault will not really see or reap the success that the duster deserves in this market. if they remain true to their mission on the duster, it can completely re-define the affordable suv segment.

[2500cc]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

the fluence is expected to take on the cruze and civic etc hence I guess they are pricing it according

1.5L Diesel engine to take on 2.0l 150bhp monster Cruz that too without any bells n whistles

the koleos is supposed to play in the mid premium suv segment so i suppose its price will be in the 15 -18 range.
the duster on the other hand (as per its dna and original conception) is supposed to be a functional and affordable suv so I dont think they will overdo the pricing on it. however, if they do overprice it, renault will not really see or reap the success that the duster deserves in this market. if they remain true to their mission on the duster, it can completely re-define the affordable suv segment.

SHankar Sir, What I think is, they will no doubt launch the Duster with 1.5L Engine, but they will price it in the range of X-trail or Yeti. So do you think it is worth it ?

[maverick56]

If the duster is bench marked with the Yeti it will literally bite the dust ! I have seen the fit and fish & interiors of the yeti which are superbly crafted - the only thing keeping me away is the ghost of skoda ***.

[shankar.balan]

they are known for their VFM cars across the world.
In India they are starting with the mid-premium sedan and SUV segments with the Fluence and the Koleos to make an impression on this crowded segment first. Fluence is supposed to compete with the likes of Skoda Laura, Cruze and Civic and so on. Koleos is expected to compete with the Captiva's, Endy's and Yeti's of the world. This attempt by renault to barge in to the mid premium segment will also be like a brand marketing strategy to create desirability cues for the Renault brand after their unsuccessful attempt with M&M and Logan. Remember Skoda's strategy.

The Duster is an affordable SUV worldwide. Hence this will bring in a Renault option to the people seeking affordable functionality, 4WD, good quality fit, finish, finesse and modern safety kit. This vehicle will actually be more or less like a poor mans Yeti/ Captiva etc in India and will have to compete with the top end Safaris and Scorpios which are currently the only offerings which are anywhere near the concept of affordable slightly modern, better finished SUVs with modern safety kit and which are in the slightly affordable price bracket in India. Even so, in my opinion 15 ish for a top end 4WD Scorpio/ Safari is way over the top! Not worth it, at that price, considering their overall fit, finish, modernity and so on.

If the Duster does indeed come into India with different variants priced between 7-12 lakhs, it can indeed change the way India drives - as per their tag line.

There is, as has been discussed ad nauseam, a desperate and crying need for an affordable, utilitarian, modern, safe, well engineered SUV with good quality fit, finish and finesse, at a fair and affordable price for us in India! I sincerely hope the Duster fulfills this need!

They will certainly face very tough times in meeting the demand if they do adhere to their European brand DNA of making a mass market affordable functional SUV. But isnt this a good thing for them? However disconnected from real consumer needs, the head honchos of sales and marketing sitting in their ivory towers may be, (as is clearly the case at Tata, M&M and many others), only a completely blind or halfwitted marketing man would wantonly miss out on this huge latent opportunity that exists for a vehicle like the Duster, if of course it is priced right. It has the potential to become another ubiquitous VW Beetle in our market - as happened in post war germany!

Originally Posted by 2500cc

SHankar Sir, What I think is, they will no doubt launch the Duster with 1.5L Engine, but they will price it in the range of X-trail or Yeti. So do you think it is worth it ?

[pawan_pullarwar]

First thing first, why they are competing ? They do not have to, if they launch Duster with 1.5 diesel engine, 105 bhp VGT within the range 7-8 lakh, there is no competetion for them, they are the winner.

My suggestion would be to remove that electronic 4 wheel drive engagement button, which is sourced from Nissan X-Trail and put the manual gear, which will reduce it's cost and launch the 4X4 within 8 lakh with basic necessary features like AC, Power window, remote locking, ABS and it will hit. And once they have some market share, they should continue with other launches.

[2500cc]

Originally Posted by pawan_pullarwar

First thing first, why they are competing ? They do not have to, if they launch Duster with 1.5 diesel engine, 105 bhp VGT within the range 7-8 lakh, there is no competetion for them, they are the winner.

My suggestion would be to remove that electronic 4 wheel drive engagement button, which is sourced from Nissan X-Trail and put the manual gear, which will reduce it's cost and launch the 4X4 within 8 lakh with basic necessary features like AC, Power window, remote locking, ABS and it will hit. And once they have some market share, they should continue with other launches.

Pawan, Am one of the potential buyer of these kind of vehicles and am eagerly waiting for a functional SUV. I'll be one of the most happiest people here to own one when launched at sub-10L range. But, do you think they would do so ?

Do you see any VFM proposition in pricing their the Fouence D at 15L ? Now this is what shattering my dreams and getting me more worried.

[sreejinair]

The price of Fluence in France is around 12 lacs, I think they really did a good job pricing it the same here in India. With the ergonomics all gone wrong and no features in the Diesel variant its definitely not going to be a big success.

Why does Duster weigh 1160 kg, what material are they using for building the vehicle - Plastic? This is the lightest SUV and my friend thinks it cant be a sturdy SUV with that kind of weight. Your thoughts?

[pawan_pullarwar]

Originally Posted by 2500cc

Do you see any VFM proposition in pricing their the Fouence D at 15L ? Now this is what shattering my dreams and getting me more worried.

Fluence is costly because of the CKD, if it would have been locally made, price would have been lower. As they are saying next lineup will be made locally so it is expected to be priced lower.

[shankar.balan]

The renault duster will have a high level of indigenization so as to keep costs down as far as what I ve heard/ read.

also ref the materials used in new gen SUV's are usually much lighter alloys and/ or plastics for certain areas. even the X Trail has extensive use of lighter materials to improve its carbon footprint and FE etc. The use of lighter materials does not detract from the overall efficiency and ruggedness/ capabilities of the SUV. I would venture here that it is not necessary for an SUV to be made of something like cast iron for it to be an effective, functional vehicle.

end of the day we all are looking for an utilitarian, fully functional, modern, ergonomically designed, good quality, reliable SUV with first class engineering, fit, finish and finesse at an affordable VFM price point. All things considered it looks like the Duster is the only potential one in the market at this point in time in India which will fulfil this requirement.

[zulfi hansi]

Originally Posted by maverick56

If the duster is bench marked with the Yeti it will literally bite the dust ! I have seen the fit and fish & interiors of the yeti which are superbly crafted - the only thing keeping me away is the ghost of skoda ***.

You get 2 dusters for the price of one yeti, tell me does Skoda justify the price difference? I don't think so, now who is biting the dust? Yeti is, even before the launch of Duster.

Frankly no comparison between the two, just that Skoda wants to make too much money thinking Indian buyers are fools, that they are not . The right comparison for yeti would be the Fortuner in terms of price, and people are queuing up for that not the yeti, and in terms of size it may be the Duster, which is not how the market works.

[shankar.balan]

given the international spec of the Duster it may well be a better, tougher vehicle with lower maintenance costs in comparison to the Yeti
also - if priced right, as per the international pricing, it would be roughly half the price of the yeti. any day this looks like a solid VFM option. the key, however, as has been repeated ad nauseam, is the pricing at which they launch it.
surely a Scorpio/ Safari beater in the making??

Originally Posted by zulfi hansi

You get 2 dusters for the price of one yeti, tell me does Skoda justify the price difference? I don't think so, now who is biting the dust? Yeti is, even before the launch of Duster.

Frankly no comparison between the two, just that Skoda wants to make too much money thinking Indian buyers are fools, that they are not . The right comparison for yeti would be the Fortuner in terms of price, and people are queuing up for that not the yeti, and in terms of size it may be the Duster, which is not how the market works.

[zulfi hansi]

Originally Posted by designersf

I'm lining up for the Duster as well

Here is a pic from Renault site. Jul 2012 for Duster.


http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...ext-3-yrs.html

Attachment 546407

The schedule of launch of new cars has changed, from what can be made out of this it says winter 2011, or may be the other covered car which says summer 2012, now guys which one is the Duster? check this out;
Renault cars in India

[designersf]

Originally Posted by zulfi hansi

The schedule of launch of new cars has changed, from what can be made out of this it says winter 2011, or may be the other covered car which says summer 2012, now guys which one is the Duster? check this out;
Renault cars in India

I think its all still the same..

[zulfi hansi]

Originally Posted by designersf

I think its all still the same..

Got verified today morning from the dealer at Bangalore, the WINTER 2011 car id indeed the DUSTER, how happy can I be, but then these schedules are known to got delayed. Also why would Renault bring in their Premium SUV and then launch a budget SUV back to back? well it may look weird but it still makes sence for them, for one the Premium SUV is a CKD which makes it easier to be launched in a short time, second there is not much competition other than the Fortuner in that segment, and third is that even in the budget SUV segment there is no competition for the Scorpio. That said they are actually doing an intelligent strategy of entering in the segments where there is so much to be established, and the crowded segments can wait, by that time they would have built some brand image with the SUVs and also developed the dealer network before they launch the volumes cars. Nevertheless Duster looks like it is going to be a volumes car anyways. Even the dealer sales guy was all in anticipation of how Duster will throw dust on every other car of that price range even the sedans. Got to watch that space.

The dealer had another interesting thing to tell, Renault decided to bring the Duster before the small car (moreover Micra is already there which is yet to establish itself as of now and they do not want another stable mate for competition, makes sense) and so now the launch is Winter 2011, but also indicated (anybody can guess this), by the time you get your car it will be 2012.

[C300]

Originally Posted by zulfi hansi

Got verified today morning from the dealer at Bangalore, the WINTER 2011 car id indeed the DUSTER, how happy can I be, but then these schedules are known to got delayed. Also why would Renault bring in their Premium SUV and then launch a budget SUV back to back? well it may look weird but it still makes sence for them, for one the Premium SUV is a CKD which makes it easier to be launched in a short time, second there is not much competition other than the Fortuner in that segment, and third is that even in the budget SUV segment there is no competition for the Scorpio. That said they are actually doing an intelligent strategy of entering in the segments where there is so much to be established, and the crowded segments can wait, by that time they would have built some brand image with the SUVs and also developed the dealer network before they launch the volumes cars. Nevertheless Duster looks like it is going to be a volumes car anyways. Even the dealer sales guy was all in anticipation of how Duster will throw dust on every other car of that price range even the sedans. Got to watch that space.

The dealer had another interesting thing to tell, Renault decided to bring the Duster before the small car (moreover Micra is already there which is yet to establish itself as of now and they do not want another stable mate for competition, makes sense) and so now the launch is Winter 2011, but also indicated (anybody can guess this), by the time you get your car it will be 2012.

As per the Renault webpage the Duster is definitely marked for summer 2012. If the dealer is correct then it’s a good news for all of us.
Renault still has a lot of ground to cover on the Branding front. Fluence is not helping the cause.