Industry sources have told Indian Autos Blog that Renault India will launch the Duster in the Indian market with a 1.5-liter petrol engine. Following the trail of Renault-Nissan in India leads you to its native place - the Sunny's engine bay!
Since last year, Nissan is manufacturing the 1.5-liter petrol engine (HR15DE) at the Renault-Nissan alliance plant in Oragadam, Chennai. Nissan nixed the globally used 1.6-liter petrol engine for the HR15DE on the Sunny as their study revealed that India places paramount importance on fuel economy in most segments. At 16.95 kmpl, it is 22% more fuel efficient than the global Sunny's engine. Another point to note is India is the first market to receive it.
Renault India is believed to be testing this model heavily and is gunning for 15+kmpl in the ARAI tests. The diesel variant is the well known 1.5 DCI, used on Nissan vehicles riding on the V-Platform. A mileage of well over 20kmpl is not hard to fathom from this fuel sipper that has shown it can be done on bigger models like the Fluence.
Renault offers a 1.6-liter engine in other markets but to get volumes and benefit the whole group from large scale, the decision could have been made. Another important aspect is the fuel economy as the new kid on the block, the Ford EcoSport, is likely to set a high benchmark in departments of emission and fuel efficiency with Ecoboost technology.
Thought the company is tight lipped about the powertrains it is getting increasingly vocal on the Duster's features through its official website. The Renault India website features a dedicated section for the Duster now as curiosity levels have risen after the Auto Expo unveiling. The Dacia-designed Duster will also be offered with 4WD in the Indian market.
Here are some of the features of the Renault Duster for India
- Chrome grille
- Twin barrel headlamps
- 16 inch alloy wheels
- Front Fog Lamps
- Keyless entry
- ABS with Brake Assist & EBD
- Dual front Airbags
- Leather Upholstery
- 4 Speaker Music System with USB, AUX-IN & Bluetooth Connectivity
- Satellite Audio & phone control
- Rear Defogger, rear wiper & washer
- Electrically adjustable ORVMs
- Rear parking sensors
- Boot capacity of 475 litres
According to online media reports, Renault is mulling a June launch for the Duster. In the last quarter of 2012, a new sedan, based on the Sunny, is preparing to join the Duster and Pulse in the sub-10 lakhs segment.
[Feature list sourced from Renault.co.in]
