[shankar.balan]

with just one showroom in blr and one service centre if renault comes up with mass level pricing for the duster and of course its other offerings, consumers might end up having to wait ages for a service appointment!
but i think there must be some method in its madness, i dont think they would be foolish enough not to focus on their service network availability. hope the duster comes in at an acceptable spec vs price level and fingers crossed that they have the servicing network to support demand.

Originally Posted by ACM

The Dacia less than 9L would be a temptation in it's space, but Renault first needs to get a service network in place for the people to truly go for it. They need to go the VW way and set up a lot of company showrooms and service outlets. But do they have the financial clout and the will for this.

Somehow this too will go the fluence way if Renault does not focus on in-our-face support visibility thanks to the Logan misadventure with M&M.

[harimakesh]

Originally Posted by ACM

The Dacia less than 9L would be a temptation in it's space, but Renault first needs to get a service network in place for the people to truly go for it. They need to go the VW way and set up a lot of company showrooms and service outlets. But do they have the financial clout and the will for this.

Somehow this too will go the fluence way if Renault does not focus on in-our-face support visibility thanks to the Logan misadventure with M&M.

I am in germany now and I see the TV ads of Dacia Duster with price of Euros 11,500/- which is less than 9L and Europe especially Germany is high tax country. I expect Renault take advantage of indian market to competitively price Duster with great emphasis on high localization and reasonable service network.

[shankar.balan]

would really be lovely if they followed their European pricing model here too.
this will then be the best package to hit Indian shores (Suv-wise)
the more I think of it the more tired I am getting of my Scorpio

Originally Posted by harimakesh

I am in germany now and I see the TV ads of Dacia Duster with price of Euros 11,500/- which is less than 9L and Europe especially Germany is high tax country. I expect Renault take advantage of indian market to competitively price Duster with great emphasis on high localization and reasonable service network.

[Rigid Rotor]

@Shankar Balan- its pretty obvious that you definitely have been closely following up and researching on the Duster!
Just my two cents -
-There have been a fair amount of Indian press first-drive reviews on the Duster in the past two-three months. Overdrive and ACI have driven the Duster in Europe. That usually happens when the launch is not too far away.
- The Duster's USP is that its a no-frills package. The Dacia part of the JV probably balanced out the French frills and yet retained a tough, functional package. Then there's a whole lot of commonality with the Logan, being a B0 platform derivative with the same 1.5 L engine in a better state of tune. It's essentially a beefed up and stretched Logan platform and is a lightweight at 1250 Kgs, compared to ladder-on-chassis SUVs.
-Renault has already stated that after the Fluence (CBU), other cars will be locally manufactured.
-We all agree that the pricing is the key to success for the Duster. The Duster will obviously bite the dust if priced above or into Safari-Scorpio territory. Especially given the fact that the Safari and Scorpio SUVs are available with all the bells and whistles, are seven seaters and have a strong service network. On the other hand, if priced below these, the Duster would definitely leave the competition in the dust.
-All the above points indicate that the Duster should, in all probability be a sub-10 Lakh SUV. So lets see how it goes!

[shankar.balan]

well this is pretty much what any person looking for an utility suv would hope for.
wonder whether it has a traction control system along with the rest of the safety frills.

Originally Posted by Rigid Rotor

@Shankar Balan- its pretty obvious that you definitely have been closely following up and researching on the Duster!
Just my two cents -
-There have been a fair amount of Indian press first-drive reviews on the Duster in the past two-three months. Overdrive and ACI have driven the Duster in Europe. That usually happens when the launch is not too far away.
- The Duster's USP is that its a no-frills package. The Dacia part of the JV probably balanced out the French frills and yet retained a tough, functional package. Then there's a whole lot of commonality with the Logan, being a B0 platform derivative with the same 1.5 L engine in a better state of tune. It's essentially a beefed up and stretched Logan platform and is a lightweight at 1250 Kgs, compared to ladder-on-chassis SUVs.
-Renault has already stated that after the Fluence (CBU), other cars will be locally manufactured.
-We all agree that the pricing is the key to success for the Duster. The Duster will obviously bite the dust if priced above or into Safari-Scorpio territory. Especially given the fact that the Safari and Scorpio SUVs are available with all the bells and whistles, are seven seaters and have a strong service network. On the other hand, if priced below these, the Duster would definitely leave the competition in the dust.
-All the above points indicate that the Duster should, in all probability be a sub-10 Lakh SUV. So lets see how it goes!

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by Rigid Rotor

There have been a fair amount of Indian press first-drive reviews on the Duster in the past two-three months. Overdrive and ACI have driven the Duster in Europe. That usually happens when the launch is not too far away.

Very true. But the only worry is that Renault keep shuffling their plans (even the future launch list keep changing on the website).

Originally Posted by Rigid Rotor

Renault has already stated that after the Fluence (CBU), other cars will be locally manufactured.

Just a small correction. The Fluence is a CKD from Turkey.

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

well this is pretty much what any person looking for an utility suv would hope for.
wonder whether it has a traction control system along with the rest of the safety frills.

Fluence have it (traction control). So hope the Duster also comes with it

[Ricky_63]

The Renault Duster should have come in before the Fluence. It reminds me of the Hyundai Tucson. With 107 hp on tap it should do fine for the budget buyer & a good option for our pot holed roads over a Sedan


As someone commented = the older Endy was 115 hp - well it was also a whole lot heavier, right ?? I think it should be compared with the Tucson in the real world.
Pricing shall hold the key !!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqwZW...eature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-rRr...eature=related

These videos show the duster in a different light, thought I'd share it with everyone here. Source Youtube



Cheers

[ACM]

With the Dacia it seems to be more about the wt (or rather the absence of it) than the power, it is visibly lighter than traditional SUV's and seems to skim over slush and show. The ground clearance is decent and the size better than what a Yeti offers. The Interiors though are a bit old school in todays time with a single dim system that could well be optional rather than integrated.

[zulfi hansi]

Originally Posted by ACM

The Interiors though are a bit old school in todays time with a single dim system that could well be optional rather than integrated.

You must have seen the Dacia (version) but what we are getting here is the Renault (version), earlier on this thread there are videos and pics of what is launched in Brazil badged as Renault, that is the one we are getting here, it is a bit more premium and the interiors are very good too. Even the Russian market will get this version under the Renault range. Also because of which there is apprehension that it will be priced differently (more) and not how Dacia is priced in euro market. About ICE, we may get both options here integrated as well as optional.

[designersf]

Originally Posted by Ricky_63

The Renault Duster should have come in before the Fluence. It reminds me of the Hyundai Tucson. With 107 hp on tap it should do fine for the budget buyer & a good option for our pot holed roads over a Sedan


As someone commented = the older Endy was 115 hp - well it was also a whole lot heavier, right ?? I think it should be compared with the Tucson in the real world.
Pricing shall hold the key !!

‪Test Dacie Duster 1,5 dCi off-road test‬‏ - YouTube

‪Dacia Duster în Z


These videos show the duster in a different light, thought I'd share it with everyone here. Source Youtube



Cheers

Was the Duster actually drifting and doing donuts in the second video? Seriously amazing!

Originally Posted by ACM

With the Dacia it seems to be more about the wt (or rather the absence of it) than the power, it is visibly lighter than traditional SUV's and seems to skim over slush and show. The ground clearance is decent and the size better than what a Yeti offers. The Interiors though are a bit old school in todays time with a single dim system that could well be optional rather than integrated.

Originally Posted by zulfi hansi

You must have seen the Dacia (version) but what we are getting here is the Renault (version), earlier on this thread there are videos and pics of what is launched in Brazil badged as Renault, that is the one we are getting here, it is a bit more premium and the interiors are very good too. Even the Russian market will get this version under the Renault range. Also because of which there is apprehension that it will be priced differently (more) and not how Dacia is priced in euro market. About ICE, we may get both options here integrated as well as optional.

Here are the interiors of the existing Logan-inspired Dacia Duster



Now here, we have the interiors of the India-bound Renault Logan



Looks good actually.

[Ricky_63]

Ya the Duster actually seems to have done that & more. This vehicle is sure not positioned as a premium product. Which is all very well. The market needs practical SUV options other than rocking boats & hulks !!

The Duster should be able to generate interest, let us wait & watch...the automotive markets are not exactly burning sales charts right now.




Cheers

[shankar.balan]

pricing and positioning are the two keys to the Duster's success in India
lets hope they dont go the way of all other manufacturers in search of the holy grail of "premium". because if they try and position it above the Scorpio and Safari it certainly wont set sales charts alight.
they should place it in line with the above two brands and watch the demand go through the roof. it might end up changing their company's fortunes totally!

[ampere]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

pricing and positioning are the two keys to the Duster's success in India
lets hope they dont go the way of all other manufacturers in search of the holy grail of "premium". because if they try and position it above the Scorpio and Safari it certainly wont set sales charts alight.
they should place it in line with the above two brands and watch the demand go through the roof. it might end up changing their company's fortunes totally!

I think Renault should have planned to release this vehicle by the year end.
The VFM compact X-Over pie will soon start getting shared with the likes of Kuga/Eco-Sport and others etc.

If Renault does not play the "fist to market" card fast, and try to take advantage of this potentially huge untapped market, they can easily give away this first play advantage.
If big fishes like Maruti/Hyundai smell of whiff of this, they can throw in their weight easily and with service network advantage with these guys, Renault can be thrown back.

Why I mention Maruti/Hyundai is that firstly they have a capability (esp. the Koreans) to churn a product in this segment very fast and at VFM pricing which is the key.
The guys tending to offer premium products may think twice, whether to sell few at a higher price or play the volume game.
But folks like Maruti, Hyundai, Tata and Mahindra have the capability to churn out products very soon for this segment and the play the volume game very well.


Many many folks (including me) will have no choice but to look at new age diesel sedans and hatches (as Scropio and Safari) are too big for them.
Renault is losing such customers on a daily basis even as of today.

[Ricky_63]

I agree totally that pricing will be the key. Case in point. Everyone I know liked the Tucson but NOT at the price at which it was offered. It felt too much of a plain jane at the price of some 16 odd Lacs. (In Delhi NCR)

The Duster should appeal to those that liked the size of the Tucson, hence if priced right with a decent 4x4 option, it should sell. It is amazing to see what the 1.5 diesel is capable of !!!





Cheers

[heman_369]

The pricing and the overall positioning is really the key for Renault here. Ideal target is a entry level/ mid level sedan owner like me who does not need a full blown macho SUV like Fortuner, but certainly needs decent size,space and drving comfort of an SUV within the 8-12 Lakhs range. Am I expecting too much?