After no new announcements for a while, Renault-Nissan has announced their future product plan for India, and have begun work to introduce as many as three new models in our market. As we've reported earlier, this new India product plan would be backed by an investment of around Rs 4,000 crore (USD 500 million).
- New Duster will spawn a Nissan derivative
- Nissan will also get a Triber-based MPV for India
- Entry-level EV under consideration for India
New Renault Duster here by 2024-2025
Renault launched the first-gen Duster in India in 2013, and sold it until 2020. India did not, however, get the second-gen model that was sold overseas. Renault hasn't revealed the all-new third-gen SUV yet, and this is the model that will be headed here by 2025.
The new Duster will be built on a heavily localised CMF-B modular platform, which has been jointly developed with Nissan and Renault, and is expected to have multiple models from both companies. Apart from the Duster, there will also be an all-new SUV that's based on this platform. This new SUV could borrow quite a few elements from the next-gen Duster.
The new Duster will essentially be a production version of the Dacia Bigster concept (seen in the image). The SUV will have a five- and seven-seater options, and compete with the Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Volkswagen Taigun, Maruti Grand Vitara, Toyota Hyryder, Hyundai Alcazar and MG Hector Plus.
The CMF-B platform will be retooled for India and other low-cost markets, removing non-essential components, while keeping things future-proof. This means it will conform to existing and upcoming safety norms, and support electrification, including hybrid and EV powertrains. This is something the outgoing M0 platform, which underpinned models like the erstwhile Duster, Terrano, Captur, Lodgy and Kicks, cannot.
Renault Triber to spawn a Nissan derivative
Nissan will introduce an all-new MPV in India that will be based on the Renault Triber's CMF-A+ platform, and the manufacturer hopes this MPV will help Nissan increase footfalls at its outlets, which currently only sells the Magnite SUV.
A-segment EV under consideration for India
Both brands are also considering an all-new entry-level EV for India based on the CMF-AEV platform. The companies already sell the Kwid-based EV called Kwid E-Tech in Latin American markets.
India is expected to be an important market for the Renault Nissan alliance not just for domestic sales, but also for exports. As we had reported in the August 2022 issue of Autocar India, Renault exited Russia after the invasion of Ukraine, with India set to reap its benefits as previously planned investments are being redistributed. Furthermore, Renault also exited China a few years ago, which meant that India, as a consequence, became an even higher priority.