February 20, 2013

Renault India to launch new MPV to compete with Maruti Ertiga

French automakers, Renault, have scheduled five new products in the next 24 months for India. Top of their list is their new MPV Lodgy, codenamed J92. This multi utility vehicle is to be launched in India in early 2015 where it will compete with the likes of Maruti Ertiga, Toyota Innova and Mahindra Xylo.

Renault India to launch Maruti Ertiga rivaling MPV in 2015 rushlane 2

Just like the Duster, Lodgy too is a Dacia product. Dacia Lodgy was first shown publicly at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show in March last year. Powered by a range of petrol and diesel engines, Lodgy is a 5/7 seater MPV, based on a new platform called, Dacia M0. Dacia Lodgy is manufactured at Renault‘s assembly plant in Morocco and Philippines, where it is rebadged as Nissan Lodgy.

For India, Renault is still in the nascent stage where the development of Lodgy is concerned. Considering the huge demand for cars with larger capacity, Renault India is working towards offering Lodgy as a 7/8 seater. ET reports, Renault will be pricing Lodgy in an INR 7 to 11 lakh price bracket. It will be powered by the same 1.5 liter diesel k9K engine which is seen in Duster, Fluence and Pulse along with a 1.6 liter petrol engine. The engine will be mated to either a 5 speed or a 6 speed transmission.

To get set for launch of Lodgy and its other new models expected to make an appearance up ahead, the company has set up a strong dealer base in the country with a target to push for 140,000 units per annum. Utility vehicles are taking the country by storm. There will be about 8 to 10 new utility vehicles entering the markets in the coming years and Lodgy will fit in well for Indian consumers.

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