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Renault to launch new MPV, small car in 2015

Is also set to enter used car business by second quarter of 2015

T E Narasimhan Chennai
French automajor Renault is set to launch a Multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) and a small car in 2015, a move that it says will help it reach 5% market share by 2016.

The company will also enter the used car business by second quarter of 2015.

Sumit Sawhney, country chief executive officer and managing director, Renault India Operations, said that the new MPV 'Lodgy' will be launched by end of March or beginning of April. The seven-seater MPV will be manufactured at Renault-Nissan's plant in Oragadam, near Chennai and will take on rivals including Innova, Mobilio and Ertiga.

The small car, which will cost less than Rs 4 lakh, will be a global product which will be launched in India.
 

Renault has a market share of 2% now and majority of its sales are driven by Duster. In 2014, the company sold around 49,000 units, of which Duster sales constitued 80%.

The ratio is expected to come down significantly, even though Duster sales will go up, after the launch of Lodgy and the small car, said Sawhney.

The company entered the passenger car segment, after its break-up with Mahindra, three to four years back. In 2015, the company has set a target to double its sales.

Renault is also planning to expand its dealership base to 205 from the current 157. Major chunk of the expansion will be in tier-II and beyond markets, said Sawhney.

The company is also going to strengthen existing products. While it launched new Pulse last week, it is also planning to make change Scala, a sedan, with more features.

"Our USP is packaging with the right product, right pricing and at the right time," Sawhney said, adding that the company is also evaluating automated manual transmission (AMT) technology for its future cars.

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First Published: Mar 04 2015 | 10:33 AM IST

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