Renault aims to sell 1 lakh cars in India by 2013

French car manufacturer Renault is aiming to sell 1 lakh cars in India by the end of 2013 and the company will launch its first model, the Fluence on May 23^rd, 2011.

Renault is planning to launch five new models in India including the Fluence by the end of 2013 and target’s to capture 5% market share in the Indian auto market by 2020. The company expects the sales of its cars in India to reach 6 million units a year, which is three times its current sales figure.

“We’ll try to deliver more and make the brand more visible. We will grow from zero at the moment to 100,000 by the end of 2013,” Marc Nassif, General Manager (GM), Renault India was quoted as saying by Bloomberg.

Talking about the Fluence, Nassif said that the sedan will compete with Toyota Corolla and Volkswagen Jetta. He added that the Fluence and the Koleos will be initially assembled from kits and will later have their engines built in India with more local parts. Also read: Renault Fluence photo gallery

The next three models (Duster, Clio and a sedan) will also be ‘massively’ localized. Nassif mentioned that Renault knows that if it has to succeed in India, it has to build in India and source in India. Renault will offer financing to its Indian customers, but the GM declined to comment on the number of banks it would collaborate with for the finance.

Renault models for India

Renault Fluence is a mid-sized sedan to be offered in both petrol and diesel versions and expected price range is Rs. 12 – 14 lakh. The Koleos is a crossover and would be launched in October, this year. The Renault Duster is a small SUV and will likely be launched at an expected price of Rs. 7 lakh in early 2012. The next launch for Renault in 2012 is the small car, Clio. Related: Renault’s upcoming launches

There are rumours that Renault may develop a new small car based on its partner Nissan’s V platform on which Micra is built. After the small car, the company may launch a luxury sedan. Also read: Renault Koleos October launch confirmed

Experts feel that selling 1 lakh cars by 2013 is an optimistic target and the company needs to focus on building its brand in India as it is relatively unknown. Further, in order to keep the sales clock ticking, Renault will have to provide value for money, competitive running costs and concentrate on setting up an extensive dealership network across the country.

Renault plans to open 14 sales outlets in 12 important cities of the country in its first phase. In the second phase, the company plans to cover 30 cities by opening 40 outlets in total. By the end of third phase, the company will have a total of 100 outlets covering 55 cities across India.