[GTO]

Excellent news! Good because, at a company owned dealership, the service quality is decidedly superior. Does this also confirm their divorce with Mahindra (and Mahindra dealers)?

I had predicted that Renault / Nissan have an uphill task ahead. Few entrepreneurs today are willing to invest 15 - 20 crores in a new auto dealership. And those that are, prefer to go with the established brands.

This trend will continue with some other brands as well.

[ashutoshb]

Originally Posted by sunil8089

Without understanding the market properly they bought some already outdated car (Logan) to Indian market, thinking that India is a third world country, where they can dump all their worn dies.

Not true, mate! Logan was launched globally in 2004. When it was launched in India in 2007, it was and still is in production in the rest of the world. And you'll not beleive it, the Logan is a hit in developed economies like France and Germany, albeit as a cheap and basic offering.

[rjalihal]

Originally Posted by sidindica

Forget the koleos and laguna, COME ON Renault, give me this cutie anytime!!!
Its love at first sight.

Press release:
Renault will unveil its brand-new coupé-roadster - Renault Wind - in a World
Première at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show on 2 March.

This really is a nice car and has pretty good specs as well. Its a 4 inline that belts out 130+ Bhp. That is real power. But i somehow felt that convertibles will never sell in India, although it takes 12 seconds to drop/raise her top!

Originally Posted by kapss

I think Dacia Duster is the SUV from Renault to come in the Safari/Scorpio territory.
But it was not to be seen in the AutoExpo. Infact when i asked the Renault guy who was showing off the Koleos at the Expo about the Duster, he had not even heard the name

Quite true. However, they will be unable to compete with Safari/Scorpio. The Duster is 1.5 to 1.6 liter engine! I would rather buy a car in that range!

[Sudan_NFS]

It's good news and I was expecting this news since I saw a Mahendira and Renault show room in guindy(near race course) where they were removing Renault from the borad.

Logan was a good product but over priced specially the diesel

[sunil8089]

Originally Posted by ashutoshb

Logan was launched globally in 2004. When it was launched in India in 2007, it was and still is in production in the rest of the world.

If Renault had launched Logan in India by 2004, I may agree you. By 2007 the car already started declining in developed economies. By that time they had much better cars like Renault Laguna in the market.

No doubt, they bought an outdated car to Indian market, even though there had very good cars in their staple.

[Rehaan]

Originally Posted by ashutoshb

And you'll not beleive it, the Logan is a hit in developed economies like France and Germany, albeit as a cheap and basic offering.

Exactly where the key differential lies. India already had the Indigo for their cheap and basic needs. The Logan was priced a full lakh above the Indigo. Today, the highest trim level of the Logan is more expensive than even the top Manza! Unfortunate, but the Logan wanted to be basic and PREMIUM, both at the same time.

[ibcool]

i love the wind. If only they sell it in india I would be one of their prospect buyers !!

[fiat_tarun]

The length of the logan is 4247mm.. IMHO that is where they lost it. They could have played around with the bumpers and brought it under the 4m length to be eligible for the excise duty benefits.

[GTO]

Not so, Fiat Tarun. IIRC, the Logan was launched before the sub 4 meter rule came into place. Plus, it's not easy to chop off 250 mm off a car. A couple of mm from bumper adjustments as the Indian Punto has, sure. But 250 mm would result in a massively shorter wheelbase (loss of USP in interior space) or a smaller boot (we already have an Indigo CS).

[fiat_tarun]

My bad. When posting something made me think the reduction was just 47mm. Totally missed the '2' in the 4247! Yup 250mm is a lot to chop of from a car without any major modifications.

[Amartya]

The Logan is/was a disaster and I hate the car (and Renault) like just about no other car in India. If they couldn't redesign the wiper assembly from a LHD to a RHD configuration, it means they are just not serious enough and taking the market for granted. It might seem trivial to many, and silly to countless others but a car manufacturer not bothering to alter their designs that tiny bit shows a lack of respect for the customer, and I cannot tolerate that.

That being said, I would like to give them another chance, see Renault bring in newer offerings and try to do something similar to Fiat (not talking in terms of teaming up again). That is, launch contemporary cars at good prices and slowly work their way up.

[ashutoshb]

Originally Posted by Rehaan

Exactly where the key differential lies. India already had the Indigo for their cheap and basic needs. The Logan was priced a full lakh above the Indigo. Today, the highest trim level of the Logan is more expensive than even the top Manza! Unfortunate, but the Logan wanted to be basic and PREMIUM, both at the same time.

Completely agree with you here. Renault got it all wrong. While the Logan as the cheapest sedan made perfect sense in europe, we already had cheaper and equally good offerings available here in India. Unfortunately, they screwed on the price part.. and now they are paying for it!

Originally Posted by sunil8089

If Renault had launched Logan in India by 2004, I may agree you. By 2007 the car already started declining in developed economies. By that time they had much better cars like Renault Laguna in the market.

No doubt, they bought an outdated car to Indian market, even though there had very good cars in their staple.

It still is a commercial success in countries like Germany, France . Renault's brand 'Dacia' were in news recently, because the Logan and Sandero were the ones which benefitted most from the 'cash for clunkers' program last year.

[wildon]

French carmaker Renault announced on Tuesday it would build up a distribution network to support the launch of its new models in India.

“Today, we want to confirm our intention to be present for the long term in India,” Marc Nassif, head of Renault India, said in a statement. “We will create a large national distribution network in the coming 30 months so that our customers can benefit from consistent service.”

The statement, made in Mumbai, came one month after Renault announced at the AutoExpo fair in New Delhi that it would launch several new models expressly for the Indian market, with a view of offering a full range of products by 2014.

By 2011, two models — the Fluence and the Koleos — are scheduled to be on the market. They will be produced in the Alliance works in Chennai.

Source:- The Hindu

[HammerHead]

IMO following vehicles can do wonders for Renault in India.
1. Sandero
2. Logan Steppe
3. Duster

Pic. source: netcarshow

[ashutoshb]

Renault reviewing joint venture with Mahindra, to set up own distribution network.
Renault is talking to Mahindra about restructuring their joint venture that makes the Logan sedan, and said a decision will be made in 30 to 45 days.

Renault also announced plans to set up its own dealer network in India, starting with 15 dealerships by mid-2011 and increase to 150 in the next 30 months.

"We are exploring various options for the joint venture MRPL (Mahindra Renault Pvt Ltd) as a business and Logan as a product," Renault India's Chief Operating Officer Sudhir Rao said.

Rao said Renault was confident it could announce a solution that would be "extremely positive" for both companies, but would not comment on what form the restructuring would take.

Mahindra said in a statement it had confidence in the Logan and that it would continue to sell through its current network.

Source:
Renault reviewing joint venture with Mahindra | Business News | Reuters
Renault India says to set up own distribution network | Business News | Reuters

Looks like Renault will buyout Mahindra's stake in MRPL and go solo from there.