Renault promised to launch five new products in India by the end of 2012. They are almost on the verge of fulfilling their commitment, with the last model set to be launched in October before Diwali. We knew for a long time that this will be a C-segment sedan based on the Nissan Sunny; following Renault-Nissan’s product sharing strategy. There were also rumours about the product name, but now the company has officially confirmed that the new sedan will be called, the Renault Scala.
We expect the Scala to be launched during the Indian Grand Prix weekend in October (26 to 28 Oct), with a gala event involving Red Bull racing and Ltus F1 teams. Unlike the Pulse hatchback that had minimal exterior changes, Renault is expected to redesign the sedan more extensively. Also, the French car maker may launch only the diesel version first, which will be powered by 1.5-ltre K9K – tuned to produce 85bhp and 200Nm as for the Nissan Sunny and base variants of Renault Duster.
Renault cars are sold at a premium over the Nissan products and we expect a similar strategy for the Scala. In fact, there is so much room in the car for extra features that Renault can upgrade and actually sell the product for a big premium. We also expect slightly stiffer suspension setup on the Scala for better handling compared to the Sunny.
The Renault Scala diesel is expected to be priced in the range of Rs 8.5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh.
