Renault Duster petrol SUV price will be affected by Budget 2013

Budget 2013 states that vehicles which have engines larger than 1500 cc, length greater than 4 mtrs, and ground clearance of more than 170mm, will be subjected to 30% excise duty, as against present 27%.

Renault Duster SUV’s petrol variant is set t be affected by this new law as it is powered by a 1598 cc petrol engine. We are not sure by how much the price of the petrol variant is going to be affected, but expect it to be in the range of INR 10,000. Renault Duster petrol price starts at INR 7.69 lakhs, ex-showroom New Delhi.

But, the price of better selling version of Duster, which is powered by a 1461 cc engine, will remain unchanged due to Budget 2013. In Jan 2013, Renault sold 3,554 units of Duster SUVs, of which only 87 were petrol, while rest all were diesel powered. So the hike in excise might not have a major effect on Duster sales, considering the fact that their global riva, Ford EcoSport is very near to its launch in India.