After the compact SUVs, the MPV is the other most happening segment right now. We witnessed the Maruti Ertiga starting what is now turning out to be an avalanche.
Nissan has launched the Evalia a few days ago at attractive prices, joining the company of Ertiga, Xylo and the Innova. The Chevrolet Enjoy is coming in early 2013.
Now, the news comes in from the Paris motor show that well positioned Renault officials have informed BS Motoring magazine that the French marque will bring the Dacia Lodgy MPV to India as a Renault.
The Dacia Lodgy is a seven-seat MPV that sits on the time proven Logan platform and was launched at this year's Geneva motor show. The engine option will be, yes, you guessed it right, the 1.5 litre K9K, likely to be offered in the same states of tune as the Duster.
The Lodgy tips the scale at 1.3 tonne which is much lighter than the Innova and the Xylo and at 4.5 meters, its longer than the Ertiga by 24 cm.
In terms of power, the 110 bhp version is second only to the Xylo, but will boast a better power to weight ratio.
The Renault Lodgy is expected to score high on equipment list, the 7" multi-function touchscreen that is seen on the Brazilian Duster TechRoad edition is likely to be offered on the high end variant.
Giving the Lodgy a proper Renault identity will be taken care of by Renault's Mumbai design house, which also worked on the Pulse, Scala and the Duster's interior.
We asked Renault India's Executive Director Marc Nassif about the Lodgy Indian journey earlier this year, and this is what he said -
We are looking at the aspect of the (Lodgy's) market. However, right now our priority is the 5 products that we promised and the 100 dealers by the year end. We are completely focused on our current targets.
Every manufacturer considers that undercutting the Innova's pricing is the easy way to get people interested in their MPV. We are curious to know whether Renault will share the same thought and offer the Lodgy as a value proposition or will they demand a premium like they did with the Pulse and the Scala.
[News Source: BSMotoring.com]
