[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by ananth_iy

Can we play a guessing game? The Renault India website shows 4 cars in wraps. I am looking at the Renault.com website to guess the vehicles by their shape and size.

I think there is another thread where the game is already on! And out of the ones which are masked, one of Koleos & another one is Duster. Also some one was saying one of them could be Clio / Sandero. Am not sure except that of Duster & Koleos.

[adg_andy]

Originally Posted by ashutoshb

Renault seems to have updated their website, following page has their upcoming models lineup.
I see..

Fluence - June 2011
Koleos - October 2011
Clio - January 2012
Duster - July 2012
Clio sedan / V platform sedan? - September 2012

Absolutely bang on. Here is what they have to say. Source: ZW


In terms of product, Renault has ambitiously stated that they will roll out 5 products in 15 months. The first of these is already here in the form of the Renault Fluence sedan. The second product for the market is going to be the Koleos SUV, which incidentally is set to make its global debut shortly. The third offering is a hatchback based on the ‘V’ platform that is shared with Nissan. This hatchback will be a premium offering that will take on the likes of the Swift. The car has been designed by Renault’s India design center and is a car that the company claims is made for India by India. The fourth offering is the much awaited Duster SUV. This entry level SUV will be produced at the Chennai plant and according to Renault it will be a strong value for money proposition. The Duster is set to make its Indian debut by mid-2012. The fifth offering will be another sedan. The details of this car have been kept under wraps, however we expect it to be a value for money offering that will slot in with the likes of the Swift Dzire, [COLOR=#0066cc]Toyota[/COLOR] Etios and the [COLOR=#0066cc]Hyundai[/COLOR] Accent. By the end of 2012, Renault India will have a rather wide product portfolio that stretches across a number of segments and that should help make great inroads in the market.

To ensure that their product line up comes with suitable backing, Renault has also planned a strategic expansion plan of their sales and service network in the country. In phase one, which incidentally has been completed, Renault has set up their network in the top 12 cities with a total of 14 outlets. This itself offers the company market coverage of almost 55 per cent. By December this year, the company intends on having a 70 per cent market coverage by expanding the network to 30 cities and a total of 40 outlets. In phase three, the plan is to reach 55 cities and have around 100 outlets which will eventually give Renault a total market coverage of 89 per cent by the end of 2012. The figures speak for themselves and you don’t need to number crunch to realize that the plan is more than aggressive, however company officials made it clear that this is the only path and that losing out on the Indian market is not an option.

read the full news at :
Renault India Plans 5 Launches in 15 Months!

[aravind.anand]

I din't quite like the front end of the Koleos or its interiors, considering it would be taking on the Fortuner, Captiva and the Endeavour. But looks like Renault realised it too and guess what? Koleos has been given a facelift! Here's the article from indianautosblog
Renault Koleos Facelift shown at press conference | Indian Autos blog
And I quite like the front now, but it still lacks the aggression of the Fortuner. Its better nevertheless

[jk007]

@aravind.anand

Thanks for the info. Wonder how different it would be from Ssangyong Motor's Korando which will be launched by Mahindra in 2012.

But, the Audi Q3 may be a runaway winner in this segment if rightly priced.

[RavenAvi]

French car maker Renault expects to launch a "made-for-India" premium hatchback in early 2012 to compete with the country's largest car maker Maruti Suzuki's small car Swift, a top executive said on Tuesday.

The car will be showcased in the Delhi Auto Show in January, and is part of the company's goal of launching five models in India by next year, Executive Vice-President Philippe Klein, who is visiting New Delhi, said.

The car maker launched its first independent model -- the Fluence sedan -- in the world's second-fastest growing auto market last month and said it expected to sell 100,000 vehicles by the end of 2013.

Renault and partner Nissan signed an agreement with Bajaj Auto, India's second largest two-wheeler maker, last year to manufacture an ultra low-cost car for India and other emerging markets and had planned to launch it in 2012.

Renault executives on Tuesday said they were unable to comment on a potential marketing partnership as they were yet to see the product. The car would rival Tata Motors' Nano, the world's cheapest car.

Renault is doubling capacity at its plant in Tamil Nadu to 400,000 by end-2012 and has committed an investment of Rs 4,500 crore ($1 billion) for the plant, which will roll out the five models beginning with Fluence.

Source - BSMotoring


Could this be the potential Swift rival from Renault?

[ashutoshb]

The new look Koleos :

[blue_pulsar]

Originally Posted by RavenAvi

French car maker Renault expects to launch a "made-for-India" premium hatchback in early 2012 to compete with the country's largest car maker Maruti Suzuki's small car Swift, a top executive said on Tuesday.
......
Source - BSMotoring


Could this be the potential Swift rival from Renault?

This car looks like the Nissan Versa. According to this link, the Clio shares its architecture with Nissan Versa. If that's the case, it should be an extremely roomy car. I have driven the Nissan Versa hatchback. It has so much space that it can put our C-segment sedans to shame. And the handling is very decent too. Such a 'big' small car will be very expensive as well. I guess around the Jazz territory. I doubt it will be a swift competitor unless Maruti obscenely overprices the new Swift.

[RavenAvi]

The new Koleos’s front is a complete redesign from the older one. Where the older one had very sharp ‘like it or hate it’ design, the new one is much softer on eyes. A big fat chrome grill coupled with slimmer headlights gives it a pleasing appearance. The OVRMS are equipped with LEDs to give it a premium feel.


The 2012 Koleos will be powered by a diesel heart – an 2.0-liter M9R diesel engine to be precise. Mated to a 6 speed automatic, it will have an output of 150 BHP. A Nissan-developed all-wheel drive will give it some off-road capability although don’t expect a short ratio gearbox.


The interiors of the SUV will be premium to justify the premium price tag. We still don’t have concrete details whether it will be a 5 seater or a 5+2 seater although lets hope the later is correct. It will be loaded with tech such as ESP, emergency brake assist, programmed structural deformation, six airbags, Hill Start Assist and Hill Descent Control. The sunroof and split-opening tailgate will further add to the comfort.


The new Koleos will be assembled at the Oragadam facility situated near Chennai. Considering Renault will be offering it as a premium product, expect it to have 20-22 lakh rupees price tag. With that price it will go against – Chevy Captiva, Mitsubishi Outlander, Nissan X-Trail, Hyundai Santa Fe, BMW X1 and the Honda CR-V.


Some more pics -

[aravind.anand]

It reminds me of an ape/gorilla, when viewed from the side!


At half its price, the Duster looks more proportionate. I don't think this would sell. At least, I wont buy it if I were in the market for a luxury SUV

[ampere]

That is something again which I don't understand. When some one knows, that they would fighting against the might of Fortuner, Captiva and the likes, wont they add a USP of their own to differentiate their offering?

Simple question to ask; If the price range is same, why would one buy a Koleos and not a Fortuner, Captiva etc? What is it that Koleos will have on offer?


Duster USP is well known. So there would be quite some folks waiting for it. How about Koleos?

[aravind.anand]

Originally Posted by ampere

That is something again which I don't understand. When some one knows, that they would fighting against the might of Fortuner, Captiva and the likes, wont they add a USP of their own to differentiate their offering?

Simple question to ask; If the price range is same, why would one buy a Koleos and not a Fortuner, Captiva etc? What is it that Koleos will have on offer?


Duster USP is well known. So there would be quite some folks waiting for it. How about Koleos?

I just pray that they are not hoping that we would buy the Koleos for its looks Are there any stand out features exclusive to the Koleos?

[maverick56]

Originally Posted by aravind.anand

It reminds me of an ape/gorilla, when viewed from the side!
Attachment 570004
Attachment 570022
At half its price, the Duster looks more proportionate. I don't think this would sell. At least, I wont buy it if I were in the market for a luxury SUV

that was an apt comparison arvind
maybe renault was apeing fortuner, captiva price wise
in SUVspeak "ugly is Beautiful" aint it?

[designersf]

Originally Posted by ampere

That is something again which I don't understand. When some one knows, that they would fighting against the might of Fortuner, Captiva and the likes, wont they add a USP of their own to differentiate their offering?

Simple question to ask; If the price range is same, why would one buy a Koleos and not a Fortuner, Captiva etc? What is it that Koleos will have on offer?


Duster USP is well known. So there would be quite some folks waiting for it. How about Koleos?

Good point. USP is important. It doesn't have 7-seats like the Fortuner and Captiva. It won't have the off-road ability of the Fortuner or Endeavour. Maybe they can provide a good, feature-packed crossover at a reasonable price? Could that work?

[ampere]

Originally Posted by designersf

Good point. USP is important. It doesn't have 7-seats like the Fortuner and Captiva. It won't have the off-road ability of the Fortuner or Endeavour. Maybe they can provide a good, feature-packed crossover at a reasonable price? Could that work?

Yes that should definitely work. They should market the product and price it for a premium cross over, which can do a bit of 4x4. People wanting VFM will opt for Duster.
People wanting the feel of plush interiors may go for this one as compared to Yeti which at 21.75L OTR Bangalore is quite exorbitant. If Koleos is priced at 17-18L OTR Bangalore
(Duster at 12-14L OTR Bangalore) I think may have good sales.

The big difference between the two products has to be the engine.
I hope they are planning for 2L diesel block.

[designersf]

Originally Posted by ampere

Yes that should definitely work. They should market the product and price it for a premium cross over, which can do a bit of 4x4. People wanting VFM will opt for Duster.
People wanting the feel of plush interiors may go for this one as compared to Yeti which at 21.75L OTR Bangalore is quite exorbitant. If Koleos is priced at 17-18L OTR Bangalore
(Duster at 12-14L OTR Bangalore) I think may have good sales.

The big difference between the two products has to be the engine.
I hope they are planning for 2L diesel block.

True. Maybe a 4X2 for a lower price will work. Wikipedia says that the Koleos is powered by either a 2.0L dci diesel or 2.5 petrol. The petrol produces 169bhp while the diesel is available in two states of tune - 148bhp & 173bhp. Hope they bring the latter.