Renault will introduce the Lodgy in the Indian market by early 2015. Based on a completely new platform, the Lodgy is an MPV developed by Renault’s subsidiary Dacia and was launched at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show.The car is currently available only in left-hand-drive markets and is manufactured at the Renault factory in Tangier, Morocco. This will be Renault’s first step in the segment where it will rival the Toyota Innova, Mahindra Xylo, Tata Aria and the Nissan Evalia.
The Indian-spec Lodgy is expected to be identical to the regular Dacia model, but will be sold here badged as a Renault. Some cosmetic changes are expected and the front grille will be more along the lines of the faceliftedKoleos and Fluence. Also expect some cost-cutting measures inside the cabin which would enable Renault to price it competitively. With a 2,810mm wheelbase, the Lodgy is available in both five-seater and seven-seater configurations, though just the latter is most likely to end up here. The Lodgy was the first Dacia ever to be offered with a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment and a navigation system and we expect it to be offered here as well.
The Lodgy is a front-wheel-drive car and is globally offered with four engine options; a 1.5-litre K9K diesel in two guises, a naturally aspirated 1.6-litre K7M petrol and a 1.2-litre turbocharged TCe petrol. In India, we can expect it to carry the Duster’s engine lineup, a 1.6-litre petrol and 1.5-litre diesel engine. The former produces 102bhp and 145Nm of torque while the later produces 84bhp and 200Nm of torque.
Manufacturing is expected to commence at Renault’s Oragadam plant, in Chennai, from December, this year. As for a few other Renault-Nissan models, we expect this plant to serve as a manufacturing base for the right-hand-drive version of the MPV for other foreign markets too.
