Renault’s upcoming launches

French Auto manufacturer Renault aims to become one of the top three international car brands in India by 2015. The company plans to launch five new models in India within the next 18 months.

Fluence

Renault’s first car for India will be the Fluence that is to be launched on May 23, 2011. The Fluence will have both petrol and diesel versions, it is expected to priced between Rs. 11 – 14 lakh. Also read: Renault Fluence caught testing in Chennai

The petrol Fluence will be powered by a 2.0 litre, 4-cylinder engine that will produce 135 bhp of maximum power. The Fluence will come with manual transmission and an optional 6-speed automatic transmission.

The diesel variant will be powered by a 1.5 litre diesel motor that produces 112 bhp of maximum power. Renault will offer a 2+2 year/80,000 km warranty for the Fluence and assures 24×7 road-side assistance.

Spare’s for the Fluence will be priced competitively as well in order to attract customers to the brand. The Fluence will lock horns with the likes of Toyota Corolla Altos, Chevrolet Cruze, Skoda Laura, Volkswagen Jetta and the Honda Civic.

Koleos

Renault will launch the Koleos this October as its second product for Indian market. The Koleos is an all-terrain crossover which has the spacious nature of an MPV and the off-road capabilities of an SUV. Also read: Renault Koleos October launch confirmed

The Koleos is expected to be powered by a 2.0 litre diesel motor that churns out 150 bhp of maximum power and 320 Nm of maximum torque. The petrol version of Koleos will likely be powered by a 2.5 litre engine producing 168 bhp of peak power and 226 Nm of maximum torque.

The low-end variant of Koleos will be the 4×2 version while the top-end Koleos will have 4×4 (all-wheel-drive) as standard. The Koleos will compete with the Toyota Fortuner, Ford Endeavour, Chevrolet Captiva, Hyundai Santa Fe, Honda CR-V and Skoda Yeti.

The year 2012 too will witness new cars from Renaults stable. Among the three vehicles to be launched in 2012, two will be cars and one will be a SUV.

Duster

The SUV to be launched in 2012 is the Renault Duster. The Duster is a mini-SUV as it measures just 4.3 meters in length, 1.8 meters in width and has a ground clearance of 210 meters. Also read: Renault Duster India launch

The Duster is expected to be powered by a 1.6 litre petrol engine that will produce 114 bhp of maximum power and a 1.5 litre dCI turbo diesel that will produce 84 bhp of maximum power.

Like the Koleos, the Duster too will be made available in 4×2 and 4×4 versions. The 4×2 version could be priced at as low as Rs. 7 lakh and the 4×4 version will likely be priced at around Rs. 9 lakh.

Clio

Out of the two upcoming models to be launched in 2012, the small car (hatchback) will likely be the Renault Clio. The Clio is already sold in European markets and there are speculations that the Clio would be manufactured in India at the company’s Orgadam plant near Chennai.

The Clio will be priced aggressively to help Renault capture a significant share in the booming small car market of the country.

Future Plans

There are rumours that Renault is developing a small car based on the V-Platform on which Nissan Micra is built. This is quit possible as both Renault and its Japanese partner Nissan would then be able to share the tools required to produce the vehicles. This will reduce the production cost and help the companies price their respective small cars aggressively.

Renault also plans to open 14 sales outlets in 12 important cities of the country. These outlets will be part of the first phase of the company’s distribution strategy.

By December 2011, the company plans to cover 30 cities by opening 40 outlets in total. By the end of Phase III, the company will have a total of 100 outlets covering 55 cities across India.