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Showing posts with label Renault. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Renault. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Renault enters premium small car segment with Pulse
Greater Noida: French car maker Renault used the platform provided by the first Indian Grand Prix, here at the Buddh International Circuit, to launch its third passenger car for the Indian market.
The new Renault Pulse will mark the company's entry into the premium small car segment and is expected to quickly widen its portfolio and draw in more buyers.
The new Pulse has been built on the same V-platform that the Nissan Micra, the small car from Renault alliance's partner, was also based on. The Pulse has a redesigned front, but bears a striking resemblance to the Micra in every other department, including the interior trim.
Commercial launch
The Pulse will be commercially launched in January at the 2012 Auto Expo in New Delhi. Bookings will open after the price announcement in January. The car will be launched with petrol and diesel engine options.
But the current announcement from Renault only talks about the K9K diesel engine being available with the Pulse. This 1.5-litre diesel engine is said to be very popular worldwide and is expected to be very efficient in the Pulse, being capable of offering up to 23 kmpl of mileage.
The car will be manufactured in the Renault-Nissan alliance plant in Chennai. The plant has also commenced localised production of the engine. It is said to only be the third plant worldwide to manufacture this engine for Renault. Initial engine production capacity will be 1.5 lakh units and this is expected to be ramped up to 3 lakh units. The engine has been available in the Indian market for the past four years in the Renault Logan.
Target segment
The Pulse will be positioned at the top end of the B segment and will be pitched at value conscious premium hatch buyers, according to Mr Marc Nassif, Managing Director, Renault India. The new hatch has been developed entirely in India by Renault's in-house design centre in Mumbai.
Renault expects to launch two more cars in 2012, including the Duster, an affordable SUV, and possibly another small car. The company is also targeting to increase the number of its dealerships from about 40 this year to about 100 by end 2012.
At the Grand Prix here, Renault Sport F1's RS27 engine powers three teams' cars.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Renault launches its premium sedan Fluence at Rs 12.99 lakh
New Delhi: French carmaker Renault has re-entered the Indian market with the launch of its premium sedan Fluence at 12.99 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) for the diesel variant and 14.40 lakh for the fully-loaded petrol version.
The company had partnered with Indian utility vehicle maker Mahindra & Mahindra to introduce Logan sedan in 2007, but had failed to impress Indian customers due to its dated design that led to dwindling sales of the car.
Eventually it pulled out of the joint venture and started its own 4 lakh cars a year greenfield plant in Chennai with its global partner Nissan Motors of Japan, where the Fluence is being currently manufactured.
"We are making a new beginning in India. Logan has given us a good learning about the Indian market and customers," Renault India MD Marc Nassif said. We know what the customer want and have worked hard to customise the new Fluence sedan for the local market," he added.
The twin-variant Fluence comes with advanced features like anti-lock brake system and multiple airbags but is competitively priced against other cars like Skoda Laura, Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla .
The company had partnered with Indian utility vehicle maker Mahindra & Mahindra to introduce Logan sedan in 2007, but had failed to impress Indian customers due to its dated design that led to dwindling sales of the car.
Eventually it pulled out of the joint venture and started its own 4 lakh cars a year greenfield plant in Chennai with its global partner Nissan Motors of Japan, where the Fluence is being currently manufactured.
"We are making a new beginning in India. Logan has given us a good learning about the Indian market and customers," Renault India MD Marc Nassif said. We know what the customer want and have worked hard to customise the new Fluence sedan for the local market," he added.
The twin-variant Fluence comes with advanced features like anti-lock brake system and multiple airbags but is competitively priced against other cars like Skoda Laura, Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla .
Renault to up parts sourcing from India
Chennai: French carmaker Renault will source 80 million euros worth components this year from India to feed its overseas plants. The company sourced 35 million Euro worth parts last year.
Renault is gearing up for its re-entry after severing ties with Mahindra & Mahindra. The first car will be its sedan Fluence which will be assembled at the company's plant in Oragadam, Chennai. The plant is set up in alliance with Nissan with a capacity to produce 4 lakh cars a year.
"Increased sourcing of parts for our global operations demonstrates our determination to make India the hub for our activities in this region," Sudhir Rao, deputy managing director, Renault India, said. The company had announced plans to launch five cars over the next 18 months. "We will now launch five new models in the Indian market over the next 15 months instead of 18 months," Rao said. The company, he said, will have cars in every segment in 15 months.
Terming the Indian market as a challenge, Rao said Renault's success in India was crucial. "India entry is a litmus test for success. Only if we succeed here, some other markets will open up for Renault. It is a huge challenge," Rao said.
The company hopes to have 14 dealer outlets across 12 cities by June 2011 which will increase to 40 outlets by December. In the third phase the dealer footprint will increase to 100 outlets.
Component sourcing by Renault's alliance partner Nissan from India for its worldwide operations is also gaining momentum. The company had envisaged $10 million worth components to be sourced from Indian vendors for its plants Thailand, China, Japan and the UK. "For the last year we sourced components worth $40 million. For the current fiscal (ending March 2012), we will source $100 million worth parts," Kiminobu Tokuyama, MD of Nissan India, said.
Renault is gearing up for its re-entry after severing ties with Mahindra & Mahindra. The first car will be its sedan Fluence which will be assembled at the company's plant in Oragadam, Chennai. The plant is set up in alliance with Nissan with a capacity to produce 4 lakh cars a year.
"Increased sourcing of parts for our global operations demonstrates our determination to make India the hub for our activities in this region," Sudhir Rao, deputy managing director, Renault India, said. The company had announced plans to launch five cars over the next 18 months. "We will now launch five new models in the Indian market over the next 15 months instead of 18 months," Rao said. The company, he said, will have cars in every segment in 15 months.
Terming the Indian market as a challenge, Rao said Renault's success in India was crucial. "India entry is a litmus test for success. Only if we succeed here, some other markets will open up for Renault. It is a huge challenge," Rao said.
The company hopes to have 14 dealer outlets across 12 cities by June 2011 which will increase to 40 outlets by December. In the third phase the dealer footprint will increase to 100 outlets.
Component sourcing by Renault's alliance partner Nissan from India for its worldwide operations is also gaining momentum. The company had envisaged $10 million worth components to be sourced from Indian vendors for its plants Thailand, China, Japan and the UK. "For the last year we sourced components worth $40 million. For the current fiscal (ending March 2012), we will source $100 million worth parts," Kiminobu Tokuyama, MD of Nissan India, said.
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