Renault India leveraging on Duster brand equity to woo customers for upcoming products

New Delhi: On a renewed journey in India where it plans to launch seven multi-energy models by 2030, French automaker Renault is leveraging on the brand equity of its popular SUV Duster in the country to reach out to more customers for its future products, according to a senior company official.

The company is making preparations at its Chennai plant as well as dealerships across India to be ready for the launch of Duster hybrid around Diwali this year, Renault Group India Vice-President Sales & Marketing Francisco Hidalgo told PTI.

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It is also expanding its network and expects to end the year with a total of over 700 touch points across the country, he added.

Hidalgo acknowledged that Renault was "out of conversation" for nearly four to five years between the pandemic and last year in India but the company is back committing investments for a long-term future in the country and Duster will help in getting the attention of customers to the company's products.

"Now we have massive investments, the capital is already going in. We purchased the plant in Chennai. We have a new design department. We are launching new cars. Some of them are going to come in just a few months," he said, reiterating the company's commitment in India.

Last year in August, Renault Group acquired Nissan's 51 per cent stake in their erstwhile joint manufacturing facility in Chennai -- Renault Nissan Automotive India Pvt Ltd (RNAIPL) -- becoming the sole owner of the plant.

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About the role of the company's popular brand Duster in Renault's new journey in India, Hidalgo said, "It is opening a lot of doors for us, especially getting the attention of people. But it is only the first step. There will be a second, a third, and fourth, EVs, hybrid technologies... For sure Duster can do things that other models, that are not well-known, would not be able to do."

Asserting that Duster is "clearly a very important product", he said, "It's also the product that is going to bring hybrid for Renault in India and we really wanted Duster to be the first (hybrid) car because of the symbolism..."

However, Hidalgo asserted that Renault is not going to become a "mono product brand".

"There are a lot of brands in the world where they have such a popular product that they become a mono product brand. That is not our intention," he stated.

While Duster had a very strong symbolic importance, relaunching it this year in March after many years in India and the planned introduction of hybrid Duster "will keep on playing a massive role", he said, "...but there are many other products that are going to be coming and many other novelties."

"Duster will not be alone and Renault will not become Duster. It will continue being Renault...," he added.

On the timeline for the Duster hybrid launch, Hidalgo said, "We announced that it will be ready for Diwali, and the hybrid will arrive by Diwali."

About the differentiator for Duster in a highly competitive segment, where Nissan's cross-badged product Tekton has also just entered the fray, he said while cross-badging is a common practice in the auto industry, "the brand markers" that make the "Renault Duster 2026" unique has not been shared.

Citing the example of 'E-tech solutions' -- the foundation of the company's electrification strategy engineered for the full electrification roadmap through strong hybrid and full electric -- Hidalgo said it is a proprietary technology of Renault and "we cannot share that".

On how the company is gearing up for the Duster hybrid launch, he said, "We are doing a lot of preparation at the Chennai plant because it's a new engine, new technology."

The Chennai plant has already started producing some hybrid cars as part of the preparation of the launch, Hidalgo added.

He further said, "We are also doing a lot of investments at our dealer network. They have to be ready. So all that preparation is ongoing as we speak."

On network expansion, he said, "We are significantly expanding our dealer network, revamping the showrooms to upgrade them to the same standards as in Europe."

At present, the company has around 650 touch points -- showrooms and and after sales service centres -- in India.

"We have already signed more than 50 and are under construction right now. So, we are going to close the year with more than 700 touch points in India," Hidalgo said.

Stressing on the importance of expanding the network in India, he said, "We need to get ready for the new cars that are coming and the sales growth that we are projecting."

As part of enhancing the Duster portfolio, Renault India has also introduced the 'Duster Adventure Edition', with prices starting at Rs 12.99 lakh (ex-showroom).

Earlier this year in April, Renault global group CEO Francois Provost had stated that the French automaker is looking to make India among its top three global markets, for which it will expand its portfolio in the country to seven multi-energy models, by 2030.

The Renault Group has also set a target of exports, including components, worth 2 billion euros annually by 2030.