A member from the Renault India management told IndianAutosBlog.com at the Renault Fluence E4 D (110PS) media drive that two cars are planned as 2012 releases. The first model is the Duster SUV before Diwali (IAB was the first to bust the June-launch myth) followed by the redesigned Sunny sporting the silver diamond.
Renault officials said they remain realistic and were not after the big manufacturers in India. They have been introducing products in the important segments and increasing dealer count.
The design team in the Renault Mumbai studio has worked on the Nissan Sunny to modify the front and rear fascias. The transformation is expected to be along the lines of the Vento-Rapid twins.
A source familiar with the developments said the 110PS version of the 1.5 K9K diesel used on the Fluence may also feature on the top-spec Duster manufactured at Oragadam, but there's no certainty about its availability in India. The Oragadam plant in Chennai manufactures Duster for India and export markets like the UK.
A low-spec 85PS version of the car may be used on the lower strata of variants. IAB was the first to inform readers that the India-spec Duster is fitted with the 1.5 petrol, borrowed from the Sunny sedan. In Europe, the Duster comes with a 1.6-liter engine. Similarly the 4x4 version will roll out of the plant, but sources ask us not to expect it from the time of launch.
