2012 Renault Duster SUV

Renault India has just launched the Duster SUV, its fourth product for the Indian car market, in barely over a year of the Fluence breaking cover sometime last year. Marc Nassif, the Managing Director of Renault India did the unveiling honors. The Duster SUV has been launched both in petrol and diesel engined variants. The SUV can seat five adults and comes in front wheel guise for the Indian market. Coming to the all important pricing of the car, Renault India has done quite well to price the base petrol model of the Duster at INR 7.19 lakhs, ex-showroom Delhi.

2012 Renault Duster SUV

Launch of 2012 Renault Duster SUV at UK

Renault India has begun building the Duster SUV at its Oragadam factory off Chennai, which it shares with Japanese alliance partner Nissan. The 2012 Duster SUV will be exported to the United Kingdom, where the SUV has just been launched at a starting price of GBP 8,995, which corresponds to an equivalent of about INR 8 lakhs. The SUV is available in both petrol and diesel engined variants for the UK market, just like it is in India. However, the UK spec Duster gets only two engine tunes. The 1.6 Liter petrol engine produces a peak power of 105 PS while the 1.5 Liter K9K diesel engine produces 110 PS-240 Nm.

2012 Renault Duster SUV

2013 Renault Fluence Sedan Facelift

The Renault Fluence sedan is all set t get a mid career cosmetic facelift come 2013, and the facelifted model has already begun doing in what seems like the testing rounds. The good folks over at CarScoop have managed to snag a few images of the on-test camouflaged Fluence. Minimal camouflage on the test car’s front and rear indicates that the facelift will most likely be a minor one. The front end is expected to get a  revamp with revised styling. Expect new headlamps, a different grille and front bumper up front. The rear is expected to see revised tail lamps and a new bumper.

2013 Renault Fluence Sedan Facelift

2012 Renault Duster SUV Pre-Launch Advertisement for India

Renault India is betting big on the Duster SUV, that the French automaker plans to launch in the country on the 4th of July, 2012. Renault has begun sending out emails to prospective Duster customers across the country even as many Renault dealers across India have already begun accepting bookings for this hot new product. Renault has chosen to position the duster SUV as an alternative to sedans, and this is quite evident in the pre-launch advertisement which shows sedan owners glum about not owning a Duster SUV, which is shown performing a variety of off road activities, the exclusive preserve of an SUV.

2012 Renault Duster SUV

Expected Launch of Renault Duster SUV on July 04, 2012

French automaker Renault will launch the Duster SUV in India, on the 4th of July 2012, as its fourth offering for the Indian car market. The Duster was developed by Renault’s low cost Romanian division Dacia, and this SUV has been a big success for the brand in many markets across the world. In India, gauging by the price points that have been doing the rounds about the Duster’s pricing, the SUV could compete with the likes of the Mahindra Scorpio and the Tata Safari. However, both the Safari and the Scorpio are 7 seater SUVs when compared to the Duster’s 5 seat configuration.

2012 Renault Duster SUV

2012 Renault Duster SUV expected to come with 2 engines and 9 more variants

Over the next few weeks, Renault India dealers are expected to begin accepting bookings for the French automaker’s fourth and latest product in the Indian market, the Duster SUV. The Renault Duster SUV, whose launch is now imminent is a 5 seater, and was first displayed at the 2012 Indian Auto Expo. The 2012 Duster SUV, according to our sources will be available in both petrol as well as diesel guises. The diesel engined variant of the Duster SUV will feature the 1.5 Liter K9K turbo diesel engine, albeit in two state of tunes.

2012 Renault Duster SUV

Release of New Datson Logo

Japanese automaker Nissan has appointed Ashok Leyland’s engineering division, Defiance Technologies, to design and develop the low cost Datsun small car, which will be sold in emerging markets such as India, Russia and Indonesia. Previously, it was anticipated that Nissan would co-develop the small car with Renault. Now that Defiance Technologies has been roped in to design and develop the Datsun small car, crucial new details have emerged about the car. Firstly, the design and development will happen right here in India and will focus on local usage patterns and road conditions.

New Datsun Logo

Would Renault Launch Clio in India or not?

Earlier last year, there were rumors in the web which suggested the next-generation Renault Clio could be the third Renault in India after the Fluence and Koleos, apart from the Logan. But surprisingly Renault India launched the Pulse basically a mildly altered version of Nissan Micra that not only have the similar dimensions, but also with identical engine and interior too. The Pulse may be called as mirror of the Micra.

Renault Clio Front View