The Dacia Duster will reach Indian consumers in 2012. The SUV from Renault will be manufactured in Chennai, the capital city of Tamil Nadu in Southern India. The plant has the capacity to build 400,000 vehicles per year.
Renault is planning to release a total of five new models into the Indian market over the next two years, through its 14 dealerships.
The French car-maker is concentrating on the Indian market as part of a three-pronged approach which also includes Russia and Brazil. The emerging economies and developing markets of the three countries make them prime targets for first-car sales and the rapid development of new customer loyalties. Indian motorvehicle demand is currently growing to 3 million cars by the end of 2011 and is expected to become the fourth largest car market by 2015.
Renault plans to increase the number of dealerships in India to 100 by the end of 2012. It has also developed a value-for-money package in the central Asian nation, with French-trained technicians at every dealership, a four-year or 80,000 km warranty and a one-year warranty for maintenance and repair, free service coupons at 2,000 km, 10,000 km and 20,000 km, and 24/7 assistance.
Jérôme Stoll, Executive VP, Sales and Marketing at Renault said:
“We understand that the Indian customer is extremely value conscious, hence our commitment to globally benchmarked product quality, service and after-sales quality and network quality.”
The Fluence has already been released in India. It will be followed by the premium SUV, Koleos, before the Duster hits the road.
