Renault to launch a limited edition of Duster at Rs 9.9 lakh in India

Renault is planning to launch a limited edition variant of the Duster SUV in India, this month, as a well as a four-wheel-drive (4WD) variant later this year. This was revealed by Sumit Sawhney, the CEO and managing director of Renault India Private Limited. The limited edition Duster will come loaded with all the bells and whistles and with a list price of Rs 9.9 lakh (ex-showroom pan India). 

The Duster is the first crossover developed by the Romanian manufacturer, Dacia, since it was acquired by Renault. The Duster has been very popular in several markets and has spearheaded Dacia’s growth in Europe and Renault’s in other parts of the world. In India, the SUV was launched in July 2012 and in less than two years, has crossed the one lakh milestone. The car is now is due for an update and this special edition Duster seems to be a way of keeping the model fresh till the facelifted car is launched later this year.

Speaking about the two new variants, Mr Sawhney told PTI, “This [limited edition] will be a feature-loaded model and will be available only during June. We are keeping the price same across India at Rs 9.9 lakh. We [also] plan to further strengthen the brand and launch a 'four-wheel-drive' version later this year.

The Renault Duster is currently priced in the Rs 8.63 lakh to Rs 11.79 lakh bracket and is available in 11 variants with a 1.5-litre dCI K9K engine in two states of tune- 84bhp and 109bhp. While the 4WD version is already being sold in some countries with a 2.0-litre engine and an automatic gearbox, none of the 11 variants sold in India are available with this option.

As the city roads and highways are the Duster’s primary playgrounds, a 4WD is not a necessity, but the addition of this new variant is sure to increase the car’s versatility. We expect the 4WD system to be sourced from Nissan and to be offered only in top-end variants. The special edition on the other hand, is expected to be fully loaded with all the creature comforts and with a price tag of just Rs 9.9 lakh, we think it will be a really good value-for-money proposition. The Duster goes up against other SUVs like the Ford EcoSport and the Nissan Terrano.

 Source: FE