Renault has announced its revised business plan for India which includes a new lineup of models as part of the ‘renault. rethink’ Transformation Strategy. The French carmaker has established a brand new designing centre in Chennai, which the company claims is the largest outside Europe.
The second designing studio from Renault in India after the one established in Pune back in 2005, the Renault Design Centre Chennai (RDCC) is a result of 1.5 million Euro (Rs 14.68 crore) investment. The facility is Renault’s second largest global design studio after its flagship facility in Paris.
The new studio was inaugurated by Renault Group chief design officer Laurens van den Acker, Renault India VP of sales and marketing Francisco Hidalgo, Renault India CEO and MD Venkatram Mamillapalle and India design studio head Julien Sabatier. Spread over 15,000 sq. metre, this new centre will be responsible for designing new cars not only for India but other international markets including Europe.
Renault India plans: 5 new models by April 2027
Renault has announced plans to launch five new models in India by April 2027, this includes all-new models as well as updates to existing models. The company also confirmed that all upcoming models will feature a sunroof option. The new lineup will include B- and C-segment SUVs, such as the next-generation Duster and a 7-seater version, a locally manufactured electric vehicle, and updated versions of the Kiger and Triber.
As reported earlier, the third-generation Duster is set to arrive in 2026, with the 7-seater variant to follow shortly after. Both SUVs will be based on the Dacia Bigster concept which made its debut in 2021. At the event, Renault also unveiled a 3D sculpture which in our assumption is a preview to the upcoming new-gen Duster.
One of Renault’s upcoming EVs is likely to be a heavily localized version of the Dacia Spring EV, built on the CMF-A platform. For the uninitiated, the ICE version of Dacia Spring is rebranded as Renault Kwid in India. The all-electric version will most likely be called Kwid EV in India. The next-generation Kiger and Triber are also expected to feature significant design overhauls along with upgraded interiors.
