Renault Duster Oroch ruled out for India by CEO - IAB Report

14/10/2015 - 16:00 | ,   | Anjan Ravi

Longer than the Duster to accommodate the bed.

The Renault Duster Oroch, or the pickup variant of the Renault Duster which was launched in Brazil a couple of weeks ago, will not be coming to the Indian market, Renault India's MD and CEO, Mr. Sumit Sawhney, told Indian Autos Blog during a media roundtable recently.

Renault Duster Oroch (Duster pick-up) front quarter (1) launched in Brazil
The Duster Oroch borrows its 1.6- and 2.0-liter flex-fuel engines from the Duster.

Mr. Sawhney said that India is not a lifestyle pickup market, and such a segment would not justify volumes for a company like Renault which wants to double its market share in the country. At present, the only lifestyle pickups in India are the Isuzu D-Max (top-end variant), Tata Xenon (top-end variant) and the Mahindra Scorpio Getaway, all of which sell in very limited numbers.

Mr. Sawhney said that the company, if it wanted to be represented in the LCV segment, had to be there 100 percent.

"India's not a pickup market, and (for volumes) I would take the low hanging fruit. If we need to get into the pickup segment, it has to be a wholehearted attempt. We cannot say we want to compete in the commercial market and then do a CKD. The market for LCV is very competitive," he said.

Renault Duster Oroch (Duster pick-up) interior launched in Brazil
The interior and feature list of the Duster Oroch is identical to the Duster.

The Renault Duster Oroch is priced from R$ 62,290 (INR 10.18 Lakhs) in Brazil. It inherits the 1.6- and 2.0-liter Flex-fuel engines from the regular Duster, and is even available with 4x2 and 4x4 options. Engineers have lengthened the Duster Oroch to give it a larger load area. In terms of overall length, the Duster Oroch measures 4.7 meters, and the loading deck is 1,350 mm long and 1,175 mm wide.

Renault Duster Oroch - Image Gallery

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