[amtak]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

Mods, could we have the title updated as Renault Fluence launch on May 23, 2011 ?


Just got the below tweets from Sirish [OD] and Hormazd Sorabjee [ACI].

Sirish Chandran


Hormazd Sorabjee

Who is correct - Hormazd or Sirish? Both have mentioned different mileage figures and even the dealer count in June!

[methecupid]

if you got to the Renault website

Renault - Range of Cars

they wil be launching the fluence in June, a SUV by October and more interestingly a small car by early next year!!! augurs well for the company, atleast its not sleeping off on siesta like its partners Nissan

[aravind.anand]

Originally Posted by methecupid

if you got to the Renault website

Renault - Range of Cars

they wil be launching the fluence in June, a SUV by October and more interestingly a small car by early next year!!! augurs well for the company, atleast its not sleeping off on siesta like its partners Nissan

The SUV coming in October is confirmed as Koleos (based on the Nissan X-Trail platform) July next year will see the debut of the Duster SUV (7-9L price range). The small car still remains a mystery though
Nissan is readying the Micra based sedan and is testing it extensively, another SUV is also under evaluation i suppose. But they really are sleeping when it comes to sales network expansion though.

[designersf]

Everything sounds excellent including the dealership experience and ARAI figures. Renault have got almost everything right on paper. Price is the only question mark at the moment.

Originally Posted by aravind.anand

The SUV coming in October is confirmed as Koleos (based on the Nissan X-Trail platform) July next year will see the debut of the Duster SUV (7-9L price range). The small car still remains a mystery though
Nissan is readying the Micra based sedan and is testing it extensively, another SUV is also under evaluation i suppose. But they really are sleeping when it comes to sales network expansion though.

Actually, managing dealerships is a difficult business, specially for a new manufacturer. The dealer margins are less and when there are even fewer cars, their profits are low. Its a difficult business this. Initial ramp up will be slow.

Originally Posted by amtak

Who is correct - Hormazd or Sirish? Both have mentioned different mileage figures and even the dealer count in June!

0.04 is the difference

[MaserQ]

Renault have chosen to wipe the slate clean and start afresh by launching an upper end sedan and an SUV before getting into the numbers game with a small car and an affordable SUV. This will help them re-establish the brand after the lukewarm response to the Logan.

[Saanil]

Originally Posted by MaserQ

Renault have chosen to wipe the slate clean and start afresh by launching an upper end sedan and an SUV before getting into the numbers game with a small car and an affordable SUV. This will help them re-establish the brand after the lukewarm response to the Logan.

I guess they are starting from upper segments and then they will go lower. It is a nice strategy. I think its more difficult to go up from a lower segment than to come down from a higher segment. Image, brand, snob value all comes into picture.

[Abhi_Automobile]

Originally Posted by designersf

Everything sounds excellent including the dealership experience and ARAI figures. Renault have got almost everything right on paper. Price is the only question mark at the moment.

It is quite a big question mark though. Take this thread for e.g. how many people have shown interest in the thread? Not too many , right? That too after some initial inputs from the company. They will be releasing the prices on 23rd. Had this been Honda Civic/ VW Jetta thread, we would have seen a lot more activity.

Come to think of it. Its not such a bad thing. Instead of having to carry the baggage of shoddy products, they get a chance to start afresh. Its the next best thing to having an established brand. Its very difficult to pull a brand with existing poor reputation (Ask Fiat; shocking that it has poor reputation considering its Italian)

They have been talking of amazing dealership experience along with quality product. Please note than Renault clearly has Jetta/Laura pricing in mind when it talks of its own pricing. It has repeatedly said the pricing will be lower than 'Western European' companies (read VW). I don't expect this to be cheaper than Corolla or Cruze now.

[swiftnfurious]

So some more tweet updates from Hormazd Sorabjee and Siddarth of NDTV Auto.


Hormazd Sorabjee

To Pondy in the Fluence. Much better than I expected. Petrol motor with CVT v. impressive, diesel has adequate pep but sluggish at low revs

He also states the below for a question.

Q:: Will Fluence be a serious competition to the existing cars?

Ans :: Don't think so. Renault has modest ambitions for the Fluence

Siddharth V Patankar - NDTV Auto:

Renault Fluence to launch in only two variants: Fully loaded petrol CVT, and lower spec manual diesel. Hmmm... More trims etc later

Besids Fluence Renault to launch 4 more cars in 18 months. Wants to be in top 3 intl mfgs in India by 2015 (excl Tata, Maruti, Hyundai)

Renault to have 14 outlets by June, 100 in 2012. Will launch Fluence and also Renault brand on May 23rd. Deliveries to begin in June

[designersf]

Originally Posted by Abhi_Automobile

It is quite a big question mark though. Take this thread for e.g. how many people have shown interest in the thread? Not too many , right? That too after some initial inputs from the company. They will be releasing the prices on 23rd. Had this been Honda Civic/ VW Jetta thread, we would have seen a lot more activity.

Come to think of it. Its not such a bad thing. Instead of having to carry the baggage of shoddy products, they get a chance to start afresh. Its the next best thing to having an established brand. Its very difficult to pull a brand with existing poor reputation (Ask Fiat; shocking that it has poor reputation considering its Italian)

They have been talking of amazing dealership experience along with quality product. Please note than Renault clearly has Jetta/Laura pricing in mind when it talks of its own pricing. It has repeatedly said the pricing will be lower than 'Western European' companies (read VW). I don't expect this to be cheaper than Corolla or Cruze now.

I agree to your point but you must understand how much response VW would have got when it first came to India with the Jetta. It would have been at a similar level. Its a new brand and coming with a new car that is priced outside the budget of most. So its bound to attract lesser audience.

And with respect to Fiat, it is still plauged not entirely by its history but also by the still below-par service. My friend in Chennai is still facing the same issues with Tata dealerships, who consider his Punto just as another cab like the Indicab and Sumo, thereby depriving it of the service quality it deserves.

Yes, Renault look to be targetting the Europeans which is a good thing. They promise more features for the same money purely because of their product.

[EDIT] I hope TBHP is also invited to the drive so that we can expect their review

[rajess_in]

Originally Posted by methecupid

if you got to the Renault website
they wil be launching the fluence in June, a SUV by October and more interestingly a small car by early next year!!!

The small car will be based on the current Nissan Micra from what I have been told by reliable sources...

The exteriors will be tweaked with the same underbody, powertrain and similar features. Positioning though will be below the Micra.

[Abhi_Automobile]

Originally Posted by designersf

I agree to your point but you must understand how much response VW would have got when it first came to India with the Jetta. It would have been at a similar level. Its a new brand and coming with a new car that is priced outside the budget of most. So its bound to attract lesser audience.

Well, I disagree. One of the reasons India welcomed VW is coz most people knew about the brand and also that its 'German'. On day one itself VW had the brand value equivalent to Honda/Toyota , if not more (which I think is). Plus, they spent mega bucks trying to create brand awareness by telling people who they are what they stand for (Bascially, German this, German that etc).

Can Renault go to a great extent explaining people what it is...I doubt it. Let's hope they give us competitive product in Fluence.

[designersf]

Originally Posted by Abhi_Automobile

Well, I disagree. One of the reasons India welcomed VW is coz most people knew about the brand and also that its 'German'. On day one itself VW had the brand value equivalent to Honda/Toyota , if not more (which I think is). Plus, they spent mega bucks trying to create brand awareness by telling people who they are what they stand for (Bascially, German this, German that etc).

Can Renault go to a great extent explaining people what it is...I doubt it. Let's hope they give us competitive product in Fluence.

VW was not widely known in India (brand visibility was an issue - the reason why you have the brand name VOLKSWAGEN printed in full on the boot of the Polo and Vento). If their brand was very strong, the Passat and Jetta would have sold well on that name alone.

However, thanks to their marketing, they literally lifted their value. This was with the launch of their Polo and Vento only and not before that. Renault have not started their campaign yet. So I cant say if they will be able to make a big impact like VW (which is very dificult in itself) or not. I just mean to say that we cannot write-off the brand just like that. They also have their small cars coming, so maybe they will try something as well.

[Abhi_Automobile]

I just mean to say that we cannot write-off the brand just like that. They also have their small cars coming, so maybe they will try something as well.

This I completely agree. I think Renault makes some really competent cars around the world. All I was trying to say was their success will depend as much on the brand awareness as on the products(s) (and its pricing) itself.

[volkman10]

Originally Posted by designersf

However, thanks to their marketing, they literally lifted their value. This was with the launch of their Polo and Vento only and not before that. Renault have not started their campaign yet. So I cant say if they will be able to make a big impact like VW (which is very dificult in itself) or not. I just mean to say that we cannot write-off the brand just like that. They also have their small cars coming, so maybe they will try something as well.

VW is a brand known in India relative to Renault.
It is now a herculean task for their marketing to come up with innovative campaign for brand awareness.

Cheers!

[vishnana]

No body cant match the brand awreness campaign that VW undertook ! results we see monthly in POLO/VENTO sales . RENAULT on other hand had to do a lot of catch up act in this regard . hope they use their succesful "engine manufacturer for TOP F1 teams " tag here to make any progress !