Wednesday, December 21, 2011
By Manoj Kumawat
Renault Pulse, Duster SUV and unnamed Sedan, the 2012 agenda for Renault
France based automobile manufacturer Renault will greet the New Year to the Indian consumers with the launch of its anticipated hatchback Renault Pulse. The 2012 Delhi Auto Expo will witness the launch of the small car in the first week of January next year. In amid of 2012, the company will bring in its compact crossover Renault Duster that is expected to be launched at a very competitive price in order to take on the likes of utility major Mahindra and Mahindra. Late next year, the French carmaker will introduce an undisclosed C-segment sedan in the country to challenge the rule of Hyundai Verna Fluidic and Volkswagen Vento.
The small car Pulse will certainly be priced aggressively as its earlier launches in the form of Renault Fluence sedan and Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) Koleos are feeling the pain of being overpriced. The Renault Pulse is a rebadged edition of successful Nissan Micra hatchback as it shares the same platform along with similarities in the appearance. With this strategy it’s not only the company that will benefit but also its consumers will get relieved. From the company viewpoint it can provide appropriate after sales services to its customers, as it can use the wide spread dealership network of Nissan across the country.
| See More Renault Pulse Pictures | Get Renault Pulse Price |
This will also save the establishment cost of the company that occurs while setting up a new service point or dealership. Along with this, it will save the time period that is consumed in manufacturing and testing of a newly produced vehicle. On the consumer perspective it will be convenient for him, as there will be no need to locate a specific Renault outlet to drop the vehicle for service as it can be catered by Nissan vendors.
| See More Renault Duster Pictures | Get Renault Duster Price |
The much-talked-about compact Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) Renault Duster though is expected to be showcased at the Delhi Expo but will see a mid of the 2012 launch. This SUV is basically a product of French automakers Romanian subsidiary, Dacia that had gone through some changes in order to meet the requirements for the Indian conditions. The vehicle will surely hold a diesel as well as petrol engine to offer variety. Moreover it is expected to be made available in two wheel drive and all wheel drive options. The compact vehicle will pose threat to the then rival Ford EcoSport SUV. It will tough for new entrant like Renault to challenge the long-standing Ford in India.
Renault will bid adieu to the year 2012 with the launch of an anonymous sedan. There are reports that this will also see the engineers that hold expertise in rebadging at work as it is strongly believed to be based on Nissan Sunny platform. It will be again powered by a same 1.5L DCI trusted power-train that is used by Nissan Micra. Petrol engine will surely make its way later as the company will first address the current demand for diesel powered cars.
