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Renault Nissan alliance again betting on badge engineered cars for India

Written by Nizam Shaikh

Renault-Nissan are planning to bring their cars back to the Indian market. According to a media report, under the alliance four new products are likely to come to the Indian market. Out of the four new products two are likely to be 5-seaters and two are likely to be 7-seaters, one from each brand. Which means Renault is likely to come with a 5-seater SUV with a 7-seater iteration and Nissan will also get a brand engineered version of both the vehicles.

Renault-Nissan – Duster Coming Back?

In addition to the four new SUVs, Renault-Nissan are also likely to bring a CMF-B based SUV. The CMF-B platform underpins a number of cars in the global market. However, Renault is likely to revive the Duster brand through the new SUV based on the CMF-B platform. However, the brand has not yet confirmed the same.

If Renault revives the Duster brand name in India. It is likely that Nissan will also come with a brand engineered model of the same. The heavily-localised platform is likely to allow the brand to compete in the much-competitive segment which has the Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Honda Elevate, MG Astor, Volkswagen Taigun, Skoda Kushaq, Toyota Hyryder, Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara and the Citroen C3 Aircross.

Will New Duster be India-Specific?

The new Duster is likely to be based on the global-spec Duster which made its debut last month. However, Renault is likely to change the fascia, light signatures and the bumper to make it India specific. Also, the teaser image reveals that the Nissan iteration will come with completely different light signatures such as L-shaped LED DRLs with a connected lightbar. However, the interiors of the cars are likely to be similar to each other.

Currently, there is no timeline available when the 5-seater and 7-seater SUVs will make their market launch. However, expect the Duster to make its debut in India by 2025.

Also Read: Citroën Basalt Vision SUV Coupé concept revealed for India, arriving in 2nd half of 2024