Designed for emerging markets.
Renault is working on an extended version of the successful Renault Captur crossover, which has been spotted testing in Europe. Based on spyshots of the prototype, IAB's rendering artist, Shoeb R Kalania, has worked on a rendering of the extended Captur.
Unofficially christened as the Grand Captur, the only visual difference appears to be the longer rear overhang. However changes are more than skin deep.
A report on Economic Times this week stated that Renault have extended the Duster's platform to generate the Grand Captur, for the cost benefit that a localized platform brings. The car, codenamed 'Renault HHA,' will be a seven-seater that will take on the Mahindra XUV500 and the Tata Hexa from 2017. A Russian newspaper report earlier this week said that the car would enter production next year in the country, while a Brazilian report in July confirmed the same vehicle for that market. The Brazilian and Russian editions however did not specify the extra seating.
The crossover is likely to borrow the engine lineup from the Renault Captur, which includes a Energy TCe 90 and TCe 120 EDC as petrol options, and Energy dCi 90 and dCi 90 EDC as diesel options. Transmission options include a 5-speed manual or 6-speed EDC automatic. The latter could be swapped for an AMT in India where low cost of maintenance is a customer priority.
The regular Captur, based on the current Renault Clio platform, is Renault's third best-selling vehicle in its range; selling just under 200,000 units in 2014. The Duster-based Grand Captur would help widen the availability of the nameplate to emerging countries and enable Renault to compete strongly with local brands in pricing.
