Latest Car News in India

Renault Duster SUV sets new targets - UK, South Africa

Renault Duster has set things right in the under Rs 8 lakh SUV segment and soon it will cast its spell on other right hand driven cars markets across globe. Notably, the Duster for the RHD markets will be exported from India. The Duster SUV launch in India has been exceptional and its price of Rs 7.19 lakh for the entry level petrol variant has been the talk of town. The Duster booking figures are not yet out but looking at the pre booking figure of over 1000 units, it seems that this SUV will rock and SUVs like Tata Safari and Mahindra Scorpio may have to rethink, revise their pricing.

As per the information, the exports will begin first to United Kingdom and then it will expand further. Renault believes the expanding the reach of the car by launching it in more markets will help gain volumes and after India, UK will be one of the important markets for the Duster. Meanwhile, back in India, the SUV could set in motion a price war between it and Mahindra, Tata. However, auto industry experts believe that since the Renault Duster Diesel model starts at Rs 7.99 lakh which is just Rs 16,000 lower than where Tata Safari starts, it will be able to eat away the Indian iconic SUVs share. As far as Mahindra Scorpio is concerned, its big size and comfortable seating and a start price of Rs 7.43 lakh will somehow still make it a great choice as there is a difference of around Rs 56,000 between it and diesel Duster. Thus the car buyer will be spotting this difference which is big enough to retain Scorpio buyers.

Furthermore, with India and UK as its prime markets initially, the Duster SUV will also be heading to South Africa and other countries later on and it is also expected to repeat the success story that it has in India in the new destinations as well.