Brand Overview : A fully-owned subsidiary of Groupe Renault from France, Renault entered India officially in the late 2000s. While Renault had a not-so-resounding debut in the Indian car market, the French car brand has witnessed massive hits to date, with success stories like Duster and Kwid. It was one of the first carmakers in India to come up with a compact SUV and a diesel engine in different states of tune. Currently, Renault has a portfolio comprising three petrol-only models in its Indian lineup.

Key Milestones In India : As a first step in setting up its base in India, an MoU was signed between Renault Nissan India Pvt Ltd, the Indian arm of Groupe Renault, and the Government of Tamil Nadu in February 2008. This MoU was signed for setting up a manufacturing facility in Oragadam, Tamil Nadu, which was inaugurated in March 2010. It was in September 2008 when Renault also opened up its fifth global design studio in Mumbai, further ensuring its commitment to the Indian car market.
The first car to roll out of the Indian manufacturing facility of Renault was the Koleos mid-size SUV, further followed by the Fluence mid-size sedan. Both these global products from Renault received a lukewarm response but helped the French brand gain some recognition in India.
The year 2012 was instrumental for Renault in India with its three big-ticket launches. Renault launched the Pulse hatchback and Scala sedan, which were essentially badge-engineered versions of Nissan Micra and Nissan Sunny respectively. During this phase, Renault was also expanding its dealer network across the country to facilitate the sales of its mass-market models.
Renault tasted its first massive success in India with the launch of Duster in mid-2012, which became an instant blockbuster and pioneered the segment of premium compact SUVs in India. The Duster single-handedly ruled the premium compact SUV segment for three years till the debut of the Hyundai Creta in 2015.
In 2015, the second blockbuster product from Renault came in the form of Kwid, Renault’s first-ever product designed and engineered with inputs from Renault’s Indian arm. Positioned in the entry-level hatchback category, the Kwid became one of the toughest rivals of Maruti Suzuki’s dominance in the segment. This year also witnessed the launch of Renault Lodgy, a budget compact MPV based on the same B0 platform as the Duster.
With rising competition in the compact SUV category and dwindling sales of the Duster, Renault launched a more premium SUV Captur in 2017, which was positioned as a more upmarket offering over the relatively utilitarian Duster. However, the Captur failed to capture a larger market share for Renault in India. The Fluence and Koleos were phased out in 2017 due to a decline in demand, with the Pulse and Scala meeting the same fate in 2018.
In 2019, Renault launched the Triber compact MPV, which was positioned below the Lodgy but featured a much fresher design and clever engineering. Ahead of the deadline of BS6 emission norms, Renault also discontinued Lodgy, Captur and diesel variants of Duster, while becoming one of the carmakers to focus only on petrol-powered cars.
In 2021, Renault introduced the Kiger compact SUV, which was designed and manufactured in India, making it one of the products falling under the ‘Make in India’ initiative. Renault finally decided to discontinue the Duster in 2022.

Product Range And Segments : Once a carmaker that was offering a mix of self-developed and badge-engineered mass-market cars and a couple of its global models, the product portfolio of Renault has shrunk to just three mass-oriented models. These are the Kwid entry-level hatchback, Triber compact MPV and Kiger compact SUV.

Unique Selling Propositions (USPs) : With the Duster, Renault showcased how frugal engineering can do wonders if it clicks with the requirements of the Indian audience. The Duster was a spartan product in terms of fit and finish and equipment levels. However, with well-sorted powertrain options and a brilliant chassis setup, the Duster impressed many with its performance and ride quality, which soon became a benchmark. The Duster helped Renault build up a reputation of being a manufacturer of vehicles with supple ride quality, which to date is justified by the current Renault models in India.

Technology And Innovation : Renault might not have offered best-in-class performance and fuel efficiency in its petrol engines, but the 1.5-litre K9K diesel engine is still considered one of the finest small-sized diesel engines in India. Offered in Pulse, Scala, Duster, Lodgy and Captur, the 1.5-litre K9K diesel engine was launched with two states of tune – 85 PS and 110 PS, both of which are known for their tractability, reliability and impressive fuel efficiency. Currently, all the Renault models are offered with a 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol engine, which is available in both naturally aspirated and turbocharged versions.

Sustainability And Future Goals : Renault is one of those car makers which has focused only on conventional petrol and diesel engines in India to date, with no signs of launching hybrid and electric models in India until now. However, rumours are floating that Renault is considering launching a premium compact SUV with a hybrid powertrain, while also developing a couple of electric models for India in the coming years.

Customer Perception And Competitors : Apart from Duster and Kwid, Renault hasn’t tasted larger-than-life success in India yet. However, the customers of all Renault vehicles in India, especially the diesel-powered versions, do praise them for their ruggedness and fuel efficiency.
Renault is now the only carmaker in India that poses competition to the entry-level Maruti Suzuki car models like the Alto K10 and S-Presso with the Kwid. The Renault Triber sits in a unique space and has no direct competition in India, and that makes it a smaller and more affordable alternative to compact MPVs like the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga and Kia Carens.
Meanwhile, the Renault Kiger faces the toughest competition from a range of compact sub-four-metre SUVs like Maruti Suzuki Brezza, Maruti Suzuki Fronx, Hyundai Venue, Kia Sonet, Tata Nexon, Mahindra XUV3XO and Nissan Magnite.

Closing Thoughts : The entire journey of Renault in India from 2010 to date has seen several ups and downs – mostly the latter. Besides Duster and Kwid, there has been no other Renault product that has managed to shake up the market and make people stand up and take notice of the French brand. However, Renault has already announced its expansion plans with new products for the coming months, which has managed to attract public attention towards it.

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