Three made-for-India models incoming, new Nissan MPV based on the Triber confirmed as well.
Renault–Nissan have announced their future product plan for India after a long time, and have begun work to introduce as many as three new models in our market. As we’ve reported earlier, this new India product plan would be backed by an investment of around Rs 4,000 crore (USD 500 million).
- New Duster will be a Nissan-derivative
- Nissan will also get a Triber-based MPV for India
- Entry-level EV confirmed for India as well
New Renault Duster here by 2024-2025
The all-new Duster for India will be the third-gen SUV, which hasn’t been revealed yet. The one that was sold in India from 2013 to 2020 was the first-gen Duster as India did not get the second-gen of the SUV, which is currently on sale overseas.
The new Duster that will be here by 2025 will be built on a heavily localised CMF-B modular platform. This platform is expected to have multiple future models, both from Renault and Nissan. The first derivative on this platform – apart from the Duster – will be an all-new SUV that will be sold by Nissan. This new SUV could borrow heavily from the next-gen Duster and is be expected to be on the same lines as the Duster-Terrano duo that was on sale in India earlier.
The new Duster will essentially be a production version of the Dacia Bigster concept that has been shown earlier. The SUV will have a five- and seven-seat version, and compete with the the Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Volkswagen Taigun, Maruti Grand Vitara, Toyota Hyryder, Hyundai Alcazar and even the MG Hector Plus.
The CMF-B platform will be cleverly retooled for India and other low-cost markets, removing non-essential components, while keeping things future-proof. This means it will conform to existing and upcoming safety norms, and support electrification, including hybrid and EV powertrains. This is something the outgoing M0 platform, which underpinned models like the erstwhile Duster, Terrano, Captur, Lodgy and Kicks, cannot.
Renault Triber to spawn a Nissan derivative
Nissan will introduce an all-new MPV in India that will be based on the Renault Triber’s CMF-A+ platform. This MPV will help Nissan increase footfalls at its outlets that currently only sell the Magnite SUV.
A-segment EV confirmed for India
Both brands will also introduce an all-new entry-level EV based on the CMF-AEV platform for sale in the Latin American market. Renault already sells a Kwid-based EV called Kwid E-Tech in markets like Brazil, among others.
India to be an important market for Renault Nissan in future
India is expected to be an important market for the Renault Nissan alliance not just for domestic sales, but also for exports. As we had reported in the August 2022 issue of Autocar India, Renault exited Russia after the invasion of Ukraine, with India set to reap its benefits as previously planned investments are being redistributed. Furthermore, Renault also exited China a few years ago, which meant that India, as a consequence, became an even higher priority.
