Renault Duster. EDIT : Now confirmed for India!

ampere · 29th September 2011, 19:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fusion2006

Indeed, it would be a good idea to wait for a bit before splurging our hard earned cash. I had almost decided to trade in my Fusion for a new Fiesta, but the price totally threw me off, not to mention that the Fusion seems vastly more spacious inside!

So now I have decided to continue with the Fusion until something is really worth the switch!

I am planning to wait till end of next year before deciding. Till then, then I hope the picture
becomes clearer. If they roll in the Ecosport, that would be a good duel between the two products. (Duster and Ecosport)

Fusion2006 · 29th September 2011, 19:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by ampere

I am planning to wait till end of next year before deciding. Till then, then I hope the picture
becomes clearer. If they roll in the Ecosport, that would be a good duel between the two products. (Duster and Ecosport)

Well, as they say 'great minds think alike'!

shankar.balan · 29th September 2011, 19:46

The Duster looks like it has been dusted by the XUV at this price. M&M have smartly stolen a march over the Renault boys.
I think the Renault boys might have made a mistake bringing the overpriced Koleos in first when they should have brought in the reasonable Duster instead! So much for this idiotic Top Down strategy! Funny thing is that I read some comments from the Peugeot head too - where he says that Peugeot will also be following the top down strategy! What is it with these Euro chaps? Cant they understand what the bulk of the Indian consumers are looking for?

There is still likely to be a consumer base who want a smaller SUV than the XUV for a daily drive and which smaller SUV is priced reasonably. Only problem is if Renault decide not to launch the 4WD and top spec version. However, having seen the XUV and its pricing I am sure the people at Renault would have sat up and taken notice. I hope they have! This might just be the tipping point for them to bring in their Top Spec Duster at a reasonable price.

This way consumers who want a larger beast can buy the XUV and those who want a smaller vehicle which has all the bells and whistles, finally will receive an alternative to the Yeti.

Anyway the Yeti itself is coming in with a lower powered version but which will also have 4WD etc, so that new version of the Yeti can go head to head with the Duster. The Ford Eco Sport can come along and if they do offer it in 4WD and all bells and whistles this will be the third new player in this new, "loaded" mini SUV segment.

Things sure are getting interesting for the consumers.

I am going to check out this XUV - Ampere - we can pop over there together one of these days and take a call on whether the XUV does indeed fit the bill.
Im only concerned that it might be a tad large - in comparison to my Scorp. And I am actually looking for a more compact SUV rather than a larger one.
I think the Silver shade would be the most anonymous and best suited for our use here. I hope that they are offering the Plum and Black upholstery with the Silver.

suhaas307 · 29th September 2011, 23:35

The Duster ma not look as tempting as it did a few weeks ago.

Not because of the launch of the XUV500. But because of the launch of the Koleos. At 25-30 lakhs OTR, it's a huge huge price tag on a car that doesn't offer much on paper at least. Renault may just do the same thing with the Duster and introduce it with an inflated price-tag.

Suddenly, the Skoda Yeti seems to be priced extremely well!

C300 · 30th September 2011, 06:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by suhaas307

The Duster ma not look as tempting as it did a few weeks ago.

Not because of the launch of the XUV500. But because of the launch of the Koleos. At 25-30 lakhs OTR, it's a huge huge price tag on a car that doesn't offer much on paper at least. Renault may just do the same thing with the Duster and introduce it with an inflated price-tag.

Suddenly, the Skoda Yeti seems to be priced extremely well!

Yeah. If you go by Koleos pricing then Duster at 7-9L looks like a distant dream. But if its Indianised version heavy on local components then 10L OTR is a possibility. My only worry is around Safety features. Hope they dont compromise on Airbags/ABS on the striped down version.

normally_crazy · 30th September 2011, 17:09

There are reports that the launches coming from Renault now - would be priced competitively.

The Duster will come after the B58 hatch launch.

ampere · 30th September 2011, 18:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

The Duster looks like it has been dusted by the XUV at this price. M&M have smartly stolen a march over the Renault boys.
I think the Renault boys might have made a mistake bringing the overpriced Koleos in first when they should have brought in the reasonable Duster instead! So much for this idiotic Top Down strategy! Funny thing is that I read some comments from the Peugeot head too - where he says that Peugeot will also be following the top down strategy! What is it with these Euro chaps? Cant they understand what the bulk of the Indian consumers are looking for?

Quote:

Originally Posted by suhaas307

The Duster ma not look as tempting as it did a few weeks ago.

As I had mentioned earlier:
The only way Duster's VFM can be established if they can office the top end (AWD) at 14L OTR (Bangalore). That translates to 11.5 ex-BLR.
This I think is improbable. We may get the highest end npon AWD at that rate as per my speculation.

Given that they have very high "Indianess" on card, I suspect there would be quite a few strip downs.
I very strongly suspect, we may not see the AWD version in the first release of the vehicle.

suhaas307 · 30th September 2011, 19:16

What Renault has done with the introduction of the Koleos, is two things that may go against their strategy of bringing the Duster. Two things that might not work in their favour:

One - By pricing the Koleos at 25-30 lakhs, they have made the Skoda Yeti look extremely VFM! We were under the impression that the Yeti is slightly overpriced. No. Look at the Koleos. Now that is overpriced, especially for what it offers. The Yeti, now, is quite a good value proposition. And with the entry of the lesser-powered Yeti, Skoda might take the fight to the XUV500 too.

Two - They've given themselves a 15 lakh bracket to play with the Duster's pricing. So it could be anywhere between 10 lakhs and 25 lakhs. Now that is a huge bracket to look at, and there are several SUVs in that range. The Duster, remember, isn't exactly an SUV.

The problem with Renault is that they've started off with the Koleos and priced it very unrealistically to begin with. And even if the Duster is put together well and has decent plastics and interior (talks of it being Indian-ized, doesn't sound good, frankly. Look at the Toyota Liva), it may not do too well, because Skoda will bring in a 110 horsepower Yeti with the same equipment list. It will be a no-brainer between the two.

An Indian-ised 2WD SUV with iffy plastics and quality, or a well built and proven German cross-over with 4WD abilities, at the same price (12-16 lakhs)? It really is a no-brainer actually!

ampere · 30th September 2011, 20:22

The other point to add is that Renault will also launch the Petrol version of the Duster
at lower price range. (6-8L?). That makes the diesel pricing range to 9-11. They cannot afford to go
above that.

Meanwhile on Yeti Vs Koleos:
- Please correct me if I am wrong. I thought Koleos is much bigger (Captiva range/size)
- Another difference between them is the AT option. Yeti DSG will push it to the Koleos range.

The other discussion point: Even if Yeti comes down to the Duster pricing range with 110BHP, the uncertainty
of the Skoda productline along with its questionable service still looms large.
But a razer thin Renault network does not a give a good feeling either. Though Renault has gone on record
to state that by end of 2012, they would have a decent sized service network.

Hope the Ecosport brings in some VFM aspect (and not like the current Fiesta).

Lets take out others and keep the focus on Duster.
My summary/takeaway/speculation: 13-14L OTR Bangalore 2WD top end.
Thats what we may see from Renault.

kapss · 30th September 2011, 20:34

Renault plans to ship the RHD Duster from their India plant. This would be exported to UK. So I do not believe that they can strip it down at all.
And it would be foolish to not launch in India what they producing here. Especially since total volumes from India and UK would provide them the economies of scale.

suhaas307 · 30th September 2011, 20:38

Excellent point, Ampere.

The positioning of the petrol and diesel Duster is very, very crucial. They must be careful with their strategy. They cannot do a Nissan here. Hitting two birds with one stone (a la, the Nissan Sunny) may not work for them, as they'd miss both, and have no stone left to throw, and more birds to aim at.

Also, the Yeti is a smaller SUV, when compared to the Koleos. But Renault would have done well to position the Koleos in the Yeti bracket. Skoda might introduce the DSG in the Yeti in sometime, and that will evidently push the price up, but the DSG will give it quite an edge over the competition.

Skoda might have questionable after-sales-service and an alright service-network. But at the moment, they're ahead of Renault, I believe. There is huge scope for improvement for both companies.

The Ecosport, when launched, will bolster the Ford line-up. But Ford's strategy remains to be seen. The way the new Fiesta has been priced may give one an idea as to how the Ecosport may be priced. I won't be surprised if the Ecosport will be introduced at 12+ lakhs.

In conclusion, Ford, Renault and Skoda have their work cut out for them. Especially with the Mahindra XUV500 that is now available at a superb price, making it a very VFM product.

ampere · 30th September 2011, 21:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by kapss

Renault plans to ship the RHD Duster from their India plant. This would be exported to UK. So I do not believe that they can strip it down at all.
And it would be foolish to not launch in India what they producing here. Especially since total volumes from India and UK would provide them the economies of scale.

I do agree what you mention. I was just going by the article referred on #472.
Hence the comment on the quality of build. I sincerely hope its not like that.

ObsessedByFIAT · 30th September 2011, 22:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

The Duster looks like it has been dusted by the XUV at this price. M&M have smartly stolen a march over the Renault boys.
I think the Renault boys might have made a mistake bringing the overpriced Koleos in first when they should have brought in the reasonable Duster instead! So much for this idiotic Top Down strategy! Funny thing is that I read some comments from the Peugeot head too - where he says that Peugeot will also be following the top down strategy! What is it with these Euro chaps? Cant they understand what the bulk of the Indian consumers are looking for?
.........

Completely agree! Duster should have launched quite ahead of XUV. Nevertheless, XUV has made the market for "affordable" SUV segment so very hot that Renault will have to place their strategies right in place.

All the reviews, images etc that I have so far seen on the net makes me dream of buying that someday, but only time will decide that.

One thing for sure, Renault has to price Duster aggressively to make a mark in the Indian car market!

swiftnfurious · 30th September 2011, 23:43

On the positive side, Renault has more than enough time to learn about indian market attittude towards SUVs & what are the current hits or flops, what do Indians desire in an SUV & what not !! Even after this, if they screw up their pricing for the 3rd time in a row, I really have no words for them ! They are better off packing their bags from India. But the XUV 500 has really shaken the market and have made the lives of quite a bunch of manufacturers seriously difficult !! Especially TATA's !

Rigid Rotor · 1st October 2011, 19:24

It would appear the delay in launching the Duster is because Renault is still getting their act together, in terms of indigenous components. I'm not so sure that they will follow the Koleos pricing strategy, given the fact that model is only assembled here.
Also, an interesting bit of info - the review in Autocar UK (link in the starting page of this thread) states that Renault is expected to launch the RHD version in UK in 2012 and price it below the Ford Fiesta. The RHD version will obviously be exported from the Indian factory.
Even in other markets, low (sensible) pricing has been a key point to their marketing strategy and their success- there is reportedly a four-six month waiting period for the Duster in Germany & France.
Also, the pressure to keep the sticker price low is further increased with the XUV's aggressive price.
In any case we all just are crystal-ball gazing. We need to wait till 2012 & see how this pricing mystery unravels.

29th September 2011, 19:46	#483
shankar.balan BANNED Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 11,368 Thanked: 23,142 Times View My Garage Infractions: 0/2 (8)	Re: Renault Duster. EDIT : Now confirmed for India! The Duster looks like it has been dusted by the XUV at this price. M&M have smartly stolen a march over the Renault boys. I think the Renault boys might have made a mistake bringing the overpriced Koleos in first when they should have brought in the reasonable Duster instead! So much for this idiotic Top Down strategy! Funny thing is that I read some comments from the Peugeot head too - where he says that Peugeot will also be following the top down strategy! What is it with these Euro chaps? Cant they understand what the bulk of the Indian consumers are looking for? There is still likely to be a consumer base who want a smaller SUV than the XUV for a daily drive and which smaller SUV is priced reasonably. Only problem is if Renault decide not to launch the 4WD and top spec version. However, having seen the XUV and its pricing I am sure the people at Renault would have sat up and taken notice. I hope they have! This might just be the tipping point for them to bring in their Top Spec Duster at a reasonable price. This way consumers who want a larger beast can buy the XUV and those who want a smaller vehicle which has all the bells and whistles, finally will receive an alternative to the Yeti. Anyway the Yeti itself is coming in with a lower powered version but which will also have 4WD etc, so that new version of the Yeti can go head to head with the Duster. The Ford Eco Sport can come along and if they do offer it in 4WD and all bells and whistles this will be the third new player in this new, "loaded" mini SUV segment. Things sure are getting interesting for the consumers. I am going to check out this XUV - Ampere - we can pop over there together one of these days and take a call on whether the XUV does indeed fit the bill. Im only concerned that it might be a tad large - in comparison to my Scorp. And I am actually looking for a more compact SUV rather than a larger one. I think the Silver shade would be the most anonymous and best suited for our use here. I hope that they are offering the Plum and Black upholstery with the Silver.
	() Thanks

29th September 2011, 23:35	#484
suhaas307 Team-BHP Support Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 8,830 Thanked: 12,251 Times	Re: Renault Duster. EDIT : Now confirmed for India! The Duster ma not look as tempting as it did a few weeks ago. Not because of the launch of the XUV500. But because of the launch of the Koleos. At 25-30 lakhs OTR, it's a huge huge price tag on a car that doesn't offer much on paper at least. Renault may just do the same thing with the Duster and introduce it with an inflated price-tag. Suddenly, the Skoda Yeti seems to be priced extremely well!
	() Thanks

30th September 2011, 17:09	#486
normally_crazy Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 4,369 Thanked: 528 Times View My Garage	Re: Renault Duster. EDIT : Now confirmed for India! There are reports that the launches coming from Renault now - would be priced competitively. The Duster will come after the B58 hatch launch.
	() Thanks

30th September 2011, 19:16	#488
suhaas307 Team-BHP Support Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 8,830 Thanked: 12,251 Times	Re: Renault Duster. EDIT : Now confirmed for India! What Renault has done with the introduction of the Koleos, is two things that may go against their strategy of bringing the Duster. Two things that might not work in their favour: One - By pricing the Koleos at 25-30 lakhs, they have made the Skoda Yeti look extremely VFM! We were under the impression that the Yeti is slightly overpriced. No. Look at the Koleos. Now that is overpriced, especially for what it offers. The Yeti, now, is quite a good value proposition. And with the entry of the lesser-powered Yeti, Skoda might take the fight to the XUV500 too. Two - They've given themselves a 15 lakh bracket to play with the Duster's pricing. So it could be anywhere between 10 lakhs and 25 lakhs. Now that is a huge bracket to look at, and there are several SUVs in that range. The Duster, remember, isn't exactly an SUV. The problem with Renault is that they've started off with the Koleos and priced it very unrealistically to begin with. And even if the Duster is put together well and has decent plastics and interior (talks of it being Indian-ized, doesn't sound good, frankly. Look at the Toyota Liva), it may not do too well, because Skoda will bring in a 110 horsepower Yeti with the same equipment list. It will be a no-brainer between the two. An Indian-ised 2WD SUV with iffy plastics and quality, or a well built and proven German cross-over with 4WD abilities, at the same price (12-16 lakhs)? It really is a no-brainer actually! Last edited by suhaas307 : 30th September 2011 at 19:17.
	() Thanks

30th September 2011, 20:22	#489
ampere Team-BHP Support Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 17,930 Thanked: 12,901 Times View My Garage	Re: Renault Duster. EDIT : Now confirmed for India! The other point to add is that Renault will also launch the Petrol version of the Duster at lower price range. (6-8L?). That makes the diesel pricing range to 9-11. They cannot afford to go above that. Meanwhile on Yeti Vs Koleos: - Please correct me if I am wrong. I thought Koleos is much bigger (Captiva range/size) - Another difference between them is the AT option. Yeti DSG will push it to the Koleos range. The other discussion point: Even if Yeti comes down to the Duster pricing range with 110BHP, the uncertainty of the Skoda productline along with its questionable service still looms large. But a razer thin Renault network does not a give a good feeling either. Though Renault has gone on record to state that by end of 2012, they would have a decent sized service network. Hope the Ecosport brings in some VFM aspect (and not like the current Fiesta). Lets take out others and keep the focus on Duster. My summary/takeaway/speculation: 13-14L OTR Bangalore 2WD top end. Thats what we may see from Renault. Last edited by ampere : 30th September 2011 at 20:43.
	() Thanks

30th September 2011, 20:34	#490
kapss BHPian Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Delhi Posts: 110 Thanked: 2 Times	Re: Renault Duster. EDIT : Now confirmed for India! Renault plans to ship the RHD Duster from their India plant. This would be exported to UK. So I do not believe that they can strip it down at all. And it would be foolish to not launch in India what they producing here. Especially since total volumes from India and UK would provide them the economies of scale.
	() Thanks

30th September 2011, 20:38	#491
suhaas307 Team-BHP Support Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 8,830 Thanked: 12,251 Times	Re: Renault Duster. EDIT : Now confirmed for India! Excellent point, Ampere. The positioning of the petrol and diesel Duster is very, very crucial. They must be careful with their strategy. They cannot do a Nissan here. Hitting two birds with one stone (a la, the Nissan Sunny) may not work for them, as they'd miss both, and have no stone left to throw, and more birds to aim at. Also, the Yeti is a smaller SUV, when compared to the Koleos. But Renault would have done well to position the Koleos in the Yeti bracket. Skoda might introduce the DSG in the Yeti in sometime, and that will evidently push the price up, but the DSG will give it quite an edge over the competition. Skoda might have questionable after-sales-service and an alright service-network. But at the moment, they're ahead of Renault, I believe. There is huge scope for improvement for both companies. The Ecosport, when launched, will bolster the Ford line-up. But Ford's strategy remains to be seen. The way the new Fiesta has been priced may give one an idea as to how the Ecosport may be priced. I won't be surprised if the Ecosport will be introduced at 12+ lakhs. In conclusion, Ford, Renault and Skoda have their work cut out for them. Especially with the Mahindra XUV500 that is now available at a superb price, making it a very VFM product. Last edited by suhaas307 : 30th September 2011 at 20:39.
	() Thanks

30th September 2011, 23:43	#494
swiftnfurious Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Chennai Posts: 7,201 Thanked: 9,651 Times	Re: Renault Duster. EDIT : Now confirmed for India! On the positive side, Renault has more than enough time to learn about indian market attittude towards SUVs & what are the current hits or flops, what do Indians desire in an SUV & what not !! Even after this, if they screw up their pricing for the 3rd time in a row, I really have no words for them ! They are better off packing their bags from India. But the XUV 500 has really shaken the market and have made the lives of quite a bunch of manufacturers seriously difficult !! Especially TATA's !
	() Thanks

1st October 2011, 19:24	#495
Rigid Rotor BHPian Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 380 Thanked: 646 Times	Re: Renault Duster. EDIT : Now confirmed for India! It would appear the delay in launching the Duster is because Renault is still getting their act together, in terms of indigenous components. I'm not so sure that they will follow the Koleos pricing strategy, given the fact that model is only assembled here. Also, an interesting bit of info - the review in Autocar UK (link in the starting page of this thread) states that Renault is expected to launch the RHD version in UK in 2012 and price it below the Ford Fiesta. The RHD version will obviously be exported from the Indian factory. Even in other markets, low (sensible) pricing has been a key point to their marketing strategy and their success- there is reportedly a four-six month waiting period for the Duster in Germany & France. Also, the pressure to keep the sticker price low is further increased with the XUV's aggressive price. In any case we all just are crystal-ball gazing. We need to wait till 2012 & see how this pricing mystery unravels.
	() Thanks