Renault Fluence diesel ‘Advantage Edition’ launched at Rs.11.99 lakh!

Renault India has silently launched the Fluence diesel ‘Advantage Edition’ variant and has priced it at Rs. 11.99 lakh, ex-showroom, Delhi. The advantage edition is essentially the Fluence E2 diesel base variant and will be available till the stocks last.

The Fluence diesel advantage edition is Rs. 3.21 lakh cheaper than the Fluence E4 diesel variant launched last week. Read more about the Renault Fluence E4d variant launch here.

Variants and Prices

The Fluence diesel advantage edition is powered by a 1.5 litre dCI diesel engine which delivers 105 bhp of maximum power and 240 Nm of maximum torque. The diesel motor is mated to a 6-speed manual transmission and has an ARAI-certified mileage of 21.8 kmpl. When compared to the updated engine that powers the recently launched E4 diesel variant, the E2 diesel variant’s engine has 3 bhp less power but is slightly (1.4 kmpl) more fuel efficient.

The following are the variants and prices of the Fluence:

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Features

The advantage edition costs less than the E4D variant, but lacks many features offered in the E4D variant such as rain sensing wipers, chrome interiors, leather upholstery, dual zone automatic climate control, rear AC vents, rear parking sensors, cruise control & speed limiter, electrically foldable ORVMs, Bluetooth, USB port, side chest level airbags. The following table lists the features available in the advantage edition.

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Price comparison

The Fluence advantage edition is Rs. 2.49 lakh cheaper than the Skoda Laura Ambiente 2.0 TDI CR variant and Rs. 2.94 lakh cheaper than the Volkswagen Jetta 2.0 L TDI Trendline variant and equals with the price of Toyota Corolla Altis D-4D J variant. However, the Chevrolet Cruze 2.0 LT variant is Rs. 55,000 cheaper than the Fluence advantage edition.

Sales of Fluence in 2012

The Fluence is not amongst the sales toppers in its segment. To be precise, Renault sold 467 units of Fluence sedan during January – March 2012. During the same period, sales of its direct competition such as the Toyota Corolla Altis stood at 2,698 units, Chevrolet Cruze stood at 1,812 units, Skoda Laura stood at 1,345 units the Volkswagen Jetta stood at 987 units. Sales of the Honda Civic which is offered only in petrol engine stood at 488 units, which is more than the Fluence offered in both petrol and diesel engines.

Conclusion

With a thin dealer and service network, it may take a while for Renault products such as the Fluence to become popular among buyers across the country. Do you think the Fluence diesel advantage edition which comes with minimal features but at a competitive price will help improve its sales?