[zulfi hansi]

Originally Posted by ajaynaphade

Thanks Zulfi, for this 'Breaking News'. Well, for me both are good news, this has actually given me a sense of direction. Now I will not wait 10 months for 'RD' which is supposed to get launched between 12-15 Lacs( I believe, ex-showroom ).

But, when I called up SE last week here in Pune, I was told that 'Koleos' will get launched between Sept-Oct time frame this year @ a very competitive price, between 14-17 Lacs. Well this is actually different from what your Lady said.

Anyways, my budget is between 9-10 Lacs and if these new prices for 'RD' are true, then in that case let me concentrate on 'ANHV'. Renault has just lost a potential customer.

On second thoughts, is it a reasonable price for 'RD' ?

Yes true, but as I said even the dealers are firing blanks, may be we have more info compared to them. BTW what the Pune guy has told you seems to be what the majority have been telling, if that is the case RD will be around 8-10 lacs. At that price RD is much more VFM as compared to ANHV. That is if you compare diesel variants of these cars. Petrol in RD will not make sense. In any case all this is pointless unless you can wait for 10 months.

[roy_libran]

I guess it is important for Renault to rein in Dealers in how they disperse information to the masses. Too many contradictions and speculations would hurt their upcoming launches.
First, they may lead to over-expectations that would be difficult to fulfil later.
Second, they may demoralize potential customer base, and they may choose not to await these launches.

If they do want to keep letting out Juicy bits of information, in anticipation of the launches, they might as well do that centrally and in a controlled manner.
Mediocre dealership and sales staff is definitely not the channel to use for the same.

[shankar.balan]

i think Roy is right. A company of the size and pedigree of renault will not use their dealer/ showroom channel to pass on bits and bobs of info to potential consumers.
they would certainly prefer to do it centrally.
it is a strategic move not a tactical one, so Im sure that most of what we are hearing is in some sense, pure speculation.
While we can speculate and indeed tantalize ourselves and salivate at the various speculative prospects in front of us, I think it just might be more sensible to wait for some kind of formal announcements from their company or PR machinery or even the Auto Mags.
Of course, nothing quite beats having a line-in to one of their senior management - who may let fall a juicy tidbit or two.
Personally Im happy to wait this out - the Duster looks like a good thing and it seems that going by its original conception and its international pricing it will be reasonably priced in India. But so did we all think the Skoda Yeti would be a good thing and fairly priced and look what happened!!

[ajaynaphade]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

i think Roy is right. A company of the size and pedigree of renault will not use their dealer/ showroom channel to pass on bits and bobs of info to potential consumers.
they would certainly prefer to do it centrally.
it is a strategic move not a tactical one, so Im sure that most of what we are hearing is in some sense, pure speculation.
While we can speculate and indeed tantalize ourselves and salivate at the various speculative prospects in front of us, I think it just might be more sensible to wait for some kind of formal announcements from their company or PR machinery or even the Auto Mags.
Of course, nothing quite beats having a line-in to one of their senior management - who may let fall a juicy tidbit or two.
Personally Im happy to wait this out - the Duster looks like a good thing and it seems that going by its original conception and its international pricing it will be reasonably priced in India. But so did we all think the Skoda Yeti would be a good thing and fairly priced and look what happened!!

Shankar, I share the same concern when we talk about pricing of Skoda-'Yeti'. I have been hearing and reading that Renault may launch 'Duster' in Russia with 2.0 liter engine churning out 140 Bhp, so if the specifications are same in India as well, then they may offer 'RD' in price range of 12-15 Lacs as mentioned by Zulfi.

But since, 'RD' in Europe is tagged as the cheapest SUV in the world, I just hope, it carries the same tag here in India as well.

As of now, my mind is in pandemonium because of price cut announced today by Honda on its bread & butter model. Seriously, it's getting difficult now to choose between 'ANHV', 'ANHC' & 'RD'. For more insight, please follow the below thread by GTO:

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...-66-000-a.html

[roy_libran]

^^^ It is true that the Yeti has been a disappointment on the Pricing front, vis-a-vis it's space, image etc. And, going by the speculation around RD, it might end up in the same Well.

However, I have driven the Yeti, among other SUV's, and I must say, I just loved this overall package. Perfectly sized for 4 adults any day, beautiful handling and enough capabilities to handle most situations you can encounter in inclement circumstances. Definitely not made for Rock Bashing, which IMHO, the mass-market doesn't need either! I am not sure whether RD would compare to Yeti in any way it's overall Packaging. From what I have seen and heard it is a good notch below the Yeti, so should be priced accordingly!

Going by the overall perception that Yeti would have fared better in this market if it had been priced about 2-3 Lacs cheaper, the RD would be / should be better off, if priced a notch below that level.

[shankar.balan]

the Yeti is way too small and expensively priced for my needs.
I hope Renault take note of all this chatter on the forum and price their Duster fairly.
If they do, then its a no brainer that it will storm the segment and swamp the other players out of the marketplace! Im not sure if they can meet the inevitable demand though!

Originally Posted by roy_libran

^^^ It is true that the Yeti has been a disappointment on the Pricing front, vis-a-vis it's space, image etc. And, going by the speculation around RD, it might end up in the same Well.

However, I have driven the Yeti, among other SUV's, and I must say, I just loved this overall package. Perfectly sized for 4 adults any day, beautiful handling and enough capabilities to handle most situations you can encounter in inclement circumstances. Definitely not made for Rock Bashing, which IMHO, the mass-market doesn't need either! I am not sure whether RD would compare to Yeti in any way it's overall Packaging. From what I have seen and heard it is a good notch below the Yeti, so should be priced accordingly!

Going by the overall perception that Yeti would have fared better in this market if it had been priced about 2-3 Lacs cheaper, the RD would be / should be better off, if priced a notch below that level.

[raul]

The Yeti is better put together, and has more goodies. The Duster is more basic but ticks all the important boxes from power, suspension, handling and space. However the refinement one would expect in a modern car is just not there, just think of sitting in a slightly higher and more spacious Logan. That how the dash looks.

They are designed for different markets. The Yeti is more refined. The Duster however from the videos I have seen is a no nonsense and robust vehicle for all weather and a very capable 4x4, its is hardcore, and given its competitive pricing in Europe many folks are eager to use it in that way.

[ashutoshb]

True, its like comparing the Logan to the Octavia. Both are sedans.. and the similarities end there.

[shankar.balan]

this is the real nub of the matter - it is fairly priced in Europe but not quite so in India. given its overall pricing in India it deteriorates from being a functional compact good value mini suv and becomes merely an expensive toy for the poseur-ish type of buyer.
while the Duster is indeed a notch or two below, I do hope that Renault doesnt fiddle about with the pricing to try and create a false premium because the very nature of the Duster does not qualify it for such a premium positioning.

Originally Posted by raul

and given its competitive pricing in Europe many folks are eager to use it in that way.

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

this is the real nub of the matter - it is fairly priced in Europe but not quite so in India. given its overall pricing in India it deteriorates from being a functional compact good value mini suv and becomes merely an expensive toy for the poseur-ish type of buyer.
while the Duster is indeed a notch or two below, I do hope that Renault doesnt fiddle about with the pricing to try and create a false premium because the very nature of the Duster does not qualify it for such a premium positioning.

I liked the term ‘false premium’. You are absolutely right. Almost all the brands are behind this premium tag (even if the reality is something else). Renault is normally known for its no-nonsense approach. I hope they’ll continue to do the same in India as well.

[ampere]

My only worry is that Renault does not go the other extreme as well.
In the same of VFM, it provides a lower quality product.

As long as build quality is decent, with normal interiors and fairly well spruced electronics, that should be fine.

[ajaynaphade]

While, we are discussing about 'RD', I thought of sharing a good review about this car. The car was reviewed by Auto Evolution and following is the link:

DACIA Duster 1.6 4x4 16v test drive, review, road test - autoevolution

[ashutoshb]

The RD launched in South America :

[ajaynaphade]

Thanks ashutoshb, for sharing the pictures. Rear view of 'RD' tells me that it's with 2.0 litre engine. So if the 'RD' is launched here in India with same specifications, then no way it will be priced between 8-11 Lacs. 12-15 Lacs seems to be realistic price for it.

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by ashutoshb

The RD launched in South America :

Thanks Ashutosh for the pictures. The car looks quite fantastic in pictures, and has loads of presence. However the Renault global website has the car with a slightly different grill treatment.
Here is the link: Renault.com - Renault Duster

Originally Posted by ajaynaphade

Thanks ashutoshb, for sharing the pictures. Rear view of 'RD' tells me that it's with 2.0 litre engine. So if the 'RD' is launched here in India with same specifications, then no way it will be priced between 8-11 Lacs. 12-15 Lacs seems to be realistic price for it.

OT: Ajay, got a small request. Please refrain from using too many bold words in the posts. This one is quite ok, but in some other long posts, it’s a bit too jarring. Thanks.