French car maker Renault has lined up a slew of launches over the next 15 months to penetrate the 2-lakh car market in India. The company has identified India among its three key markets for the next few years that is going to power its plans globally. Brazil and Russia are the other two markets.
In line with its ambition, Renault will launch a hatchback in the B-segment in January 2012. This would be followed by the introduction of its successful SUV, Duster, in the Indian market by the end of next year.
?India is a priority market for Renault. Our success in India would largely determine how we are going to do globally,? Renault’s global executive vice-president (sales & marketing, LCV) Jerome Stoll said. The company’s plans in India mirrors Renault chief Carlos Ghosn’s earlier direction to Renault India’s managing director Marc Nassif that the company ought to make a living from India.
According to the executive vice-president (planning, products, programme), Renault, Philippe Klein, the company’s small car would compete with Maruti Suzuki’s Swift. ?It would be a car designed by Indians for the Indian market,? Klein said. He, however, declined to share more details. The company’s soon-to-be-launched SUV Duster is the highest selling utility vehicle in France. Klein said it would be very competitively priced and also be very fuel efficient since the SUV is almost 300 kg lesser than other cars in the same segment.
Nassif also hinted that Renault-Nissan’s plan to bring out a ultra low-cost car (ULC) in collaboration with Bajaj Auto is not on priority list of the company.
He said that among Renault’s main focus areas would be to bring out its range of passenger cars over the next few years.
Nasiff’s indication on Tuesday follows an interview with FE where he had said that 2012 deadline for rolling out the ULC is set to be missed.