Renault Duster launched at Rs 7.19 lakh, what do you think about the pricing?

[PrancingHorse 1]

Renault has launched the Duster SUV. The India-bound Duster is slightly different from the one that was showcased at the Auto Expo earlier this year.

The India-spec SUV’s lower-part front bumper gets a black finish, as opposed to the body-coloured one seen earlier. The wing mirrors are part-black, part-body-coloured, while the car seen at the Expo had a part-chrome, part-body-coloured setup. Other trim bits such as the headlights, grille and alloys are the same.

The Duster comes in eight trims and three engine options, which include a base 1.6-litre petrol at a starting price of Rs 7.19 lakh, and the 1.5-litre diesel that currently powers the Fluence. The diesel engine is available in two states of tune — an entry-level 84bhp version and a top of the line 108.5bhp variant. The 108.5bhp motor is the ‘Step 4’ version of the K9K engine.

The base RXE petrol variant is priced at Rs 7.19 lakh while the up-market RXL petrol costs Rs 8.19 lakh.

The base diesel RXL with the 85bhp motor is priced at Rs 8.99 lakh, the RXL Diesel (option pack) is priced at

Renault Duster prices (Ex-showroom, Delhi)

RXE Petrol: Rs 7.19 lakh

RXL Petrol: Rs 8.19 lakh

RXE Diesel 85bhp: Rs 7.99 lakh

RXL Diesel 85bhp: Rs 8.99lakh

RXL Diesel pack: Rs 9.99 lakh

RXL Diesel 110bhp: Rs 9.99 lakh

RXZ Diesel 110bhp: Rs 10.99 lakh

RXZ Diesel pack: Rs 11.29 lakh

[sanzgod 0]

Renault Duster is sold in the following colours in India.

• Metallic Woodland Brown
  
• Metallic Fiery Red
  
• Pearl Supreme White
  
• Metallic Moonlight Silver
  
• Pearl Galaxy Black
  
• Metallic Graphite Grey
  

[rahul1810 0]

Not very good pricing in my opinion. Petrol top variant at 8.2 lakhs does not even have safety optional. RXL 110 BHP at 10 lakhs and again with Airbags and ABS optional! The much bigger and powerful XUV will reign over it.

[PrancingHorse 1]

After so much hola and hype, looks like another pricing blunder from Renault. In todays times leaving out safety equipment is just not done. Heck even hatchbacks are better loaded. And I heard from somewhere that these are introductory prices. I hope thats not correct. With not having made an impact on the market yet and a wafer thin sales and service network, Renault does have its work cut out. Waiting keenly to see the market response on this one.

[creativebala 178]

Absurd pricing. Period.

IMHO, I see value only in Diesel RXE 85. At 7.99 Ex, this should find many takers, but all other variants are marketing blunders.

RXE 110 @ 8.99. Who on his right sense would pay Rs 1.2L(On Rd Difference) for a Variable Geometry Turbo in Lie of Fixed for a mere difference of 15Bhp. Does a small turbo change deserve 1.2L.

Who needs Alloy, Rear sensor, Seat belt warning( a joke in equipment list) in a Option Pack.

RXL variant, again 1.2L difference for ICE, Some paints, Fog lamp, Defogger... Again not really worth.

PS

A excellent time for Tata to fill the Void between Rs 8L RXE85 Duster & Rs 14+L XUV.

If brought in Storme or a Stripped Aria now, will see good numbers.

Edited July 4, 2012 by creativebala

[creativebala 178]

spec sheet

http://motoroids.com/assets/Uploads/2012/07/2012-Renault-Duster-Brochure.jpg

[neerajd 7]

I agree Bala! a stripped version of the Aria will sell like hot cakes..

Even though, Only the diesel 84 bhp one has enough grunt in itself to sell a few numbers. And what might work in its favor is that its an SUV. So some of whom are considering a City or a Verna may just go in for the Duster.

Even I would have considered the Duster if I was in the market for that price range. If sedan is not my preference, a Duster may help me tackle bad roads and give me that king of the road feel.

The Rio was not able to carve a position for itself in the hot-hatch competition but I guess this may get decent considerations due to its badge, looks and the "SUV" tag.

[librankur 39]

@creativebala

its 25BHP more

I dont know where Renault sees itself with this kind of product pricing , already its sales are dismal and this kind of pricing will do no good.Considering the on road price will actually take it near 10L for base diesel variant.

I am also wondering why in 8 variants they could not find a place for an automatic ?

[rssh 59]

Its too early to comment on whether the Duster will be a success . Renault could have done well not to launch the petrol varients at all and the 1 lakhs difference btw varient is too much .

The base RXE makes sense but still no ABS or Airbag is ridiculous .Also what is the difference btw the RXL pack and RXZ varient (84 vs 110) . Renault tries to create hype then scratches its head when the product doesn't move .

[BonFre 0]

Pricing is on the higher side & models/variants slotting w.r.t. features doesn't seem well thought out. Renault has to work hard on after sales & see that the initial consumers are well cared for & end up happy. Hope Renault has taken care to keep the vehicle niggle free, Fluence has had ~ 3 engine mods. already in a span of less than a year. These are not good signals in affirming consumer confidence.

I would not fall for the "Introductory price tag" thing. Same was said during Sunny's launch but nothing happened. Hike if any could come from Govt's. end in the form of taxes, duties, etc. Renault had a gloden opprtunity to jump start & make its presence felt!

Still the launch is welcome move & will trigger the competition to offer somethign in similar categories. Consumer will be the King!

[creativebala 178]

@rssh,

Its pretty clear from the above pricing that Duster is not going to be a big success.

Let me tell you why?

The Good Variant, which is Powerful/ adequately featured/ Safe is 12L. This constitutes the major chunk who will run to M&M fort and book a XUV or wait for EcoSport.

The Base variant IMHO is VFM and this will bring in more SUV aspirers, but then be prepared to be overtaken by 1947 Indicabs. This variant is Powerless, Safeless( need to check Oxford for such a word), Featureless but still would cost around 9.5L in most Indian cities. This Car is Premiumless, so these catagory will be driven to Xylo CS.

For 9.5L, I would suggest a Ertiga to anyone( though not an SUV) but has Power/ Space/ MJD/ Brand Maruti/ Features/ Seats more.... The only thing that lacks is SUV looks which can be improved by body kits.

--- Can someone post the Ertiga with Body Kits picture here

So, all in all, The top end Duster prospects would be driven into XUV showroom, I_also_want_an_SUV will wait for MiniXylo, MidVariant Prospects/Safety concerned will wait for Ecosport.

Once XA Alpha enters with Killer pricing, Duster at this pricing will be RIP.

Edited July 4, 2012 by creativebala

[rssh 59]

The top end duster costs 11 lakhs ex showroom Delhi so it will end up costing 12.5 on road in most cities . Also there will be lot of cross-shopping between RXL pack 89 vs RXL 110 because they are priced similar @10 lakhs . The XUV5OO W6 is on road 13.5 lakhs and its worth going for it than 110 Duster

I really don't think the pack option is worth the 1 lakhs because dual airbags and ABS cost around 55k and alloys around 24k and with other little things the max should have been 80k . Also the premium between the 84 vs 110 bhp engine is too much how much does it really cost to get a complex VGT to a FGT .

Looking at Punto 90hp vs 75hp the max difference is only 50 k .

Still my varient of choice will be the RXL pack because @ 10 lakhs ex showroom it doesn't have a competitor and also there isn't much performance difference btw the 110 and 84 diesel in city driving (infact the 84 will be better).

[neerajd 7]

Here's the body kit picture of the Ertiga as requested Bala.

And I agree that it'll find very few takers at this price point. Lets wait and watch how many volumes will this gather.

Ertiga here looks super cool with all the add ons. Doesn't look a mere MUV/LUV at all. All the more desirable...

[neerajd 7]

ok finally I think I may have an image here...

[creativebala 178]

^^^Thank you Neeraj for the picture.

Now If Maruti sells this kit as an Add-On for Ertiga at 75k-1L, what will be the Mass's Choice? IMHO, it will be an Ertiga.

[lmt3833 0]

Renault have blown it big time . After all the hype surrounding the super pricing of the duster, the duster is going to bite the dust. All its variants seem overpriced without a doubt. The top of the line cost 13lacs OTR that ridicolous. I think the XUV will keep going great guns and the duster, which was supposed to give mahindra sleepless nights(both for the scorpio n XUV) is done n dusted because of its pricing. RENAULT WAKE UP and re price the duster before FORD launches the ecosport.

[sachins 51]

Not only pricing is on the higher side (50k - 75k) but also spread of the equipment on the variants is poor.

Normally mid variant (Rxl) should at-least have the safety equipment as standard, which is not the case here.

For mid variant they are charging 1 lac extra for just some added cosmetics. This forces the customer to look at option pack which again cost 1 lac extra.

[AMG1 0]

Renault Duster prices, Mumbai prices included!

Variant Price Ex-Delhi Price Ex-Mumbai RXE (Petrol) Rs 7.19 lakh Rs 7.47 lakh RXL (Petrol) Rs 8.19 lakh Rs 8.52 lakh RXE (Diesel, 84bhp) Rs 7.99 lakh Rs 8.31 lakh RXL (Diesel, 84bhp) Rs 8.99 lakh Rs 9.36 lakh RXL Pack (Diesel, 84bhp) Rs 9.99 lakh Rs 10.41 lakh RXL (Diesel 108bhp) Rs 9.99 lakh Rs 10.41 lakh RXZ (Diesel, 108bhp) Rs 10.99 lakh Rs 11.46 lakh RXZ Pack (Diesel, 108bhp) Rs 11.29 lakh Rs 11.77 lakh

More details here: http://www.autocarindia.com/News/304594,renault-launches-duster-suv.aspx

[ForzaItalia 0]

After so much hola and hype, looks like another pricing blunder from Renault. In todays times leaving out safety equipment is just not done. Heck even hatchbacks are better loaded. And I heard from somewhere that these are introductory prices. I hope thats not correct. With not having made an impact on the market yet and a wafer thin sales and service network, Renault does have its work cut out. Waiting keenly to see the market response on this one.

I would absolutely agree with you on this. I recently purchased a Honda City Corporate Edition. Apart from the fact that I wanted a Honda, the fact that even the base version came with ABS and Airbags as standard, was enough to drive me to this purchase. Keeping in mind that my drive involves Expressway runs on a regular basis, it definitely helps that I not just have a refined engine with fantastic mileage, but one that gives me peace of mind in terms of safety.

It's a total disappointment to see Renault/Nissan giving airbags as standard on the Micra/Pulse, while skimming on such features on a more "premium" offering.

[Sstar 77]

Not very good pricing in my opinion. Petrol top variant at 8.2 lakhs does not even have safety optional. RXL 110 BHP at 10 lakhs and again with Airbags and ABS optional! The much bigger and powerful XUV will reign over it.

I agree...XUV will have an edge over it.

Also, now Ford has chance to beat Duster atlest by pricing the Petrol variant of EcoSport below 7 Lakh. Lets see

[motorj3di 1]

I agree that it won't sell in huge numbers, but that said, I don't think it's as bad as some of you are making it out to be.

I personally would definitely have one - specifically the 84bhp DCi RXL Pack (about 11L OTR?). In fact I think I'm going to try and get a test drive one of these days.

Yes, if you were buying the top-end 110bhp version, it does encroach on XUV territory, and that car does offer more value for money and more power. But I've just read the first drive in ACI's recent issue - and it says the Duster is actually faster thanks to it's low, 1.3-tonne weight. I agree it's not very well equipped, but it has all the equipment I need, personally (although since I'm looking at the RXL, I would have liked airbags).

Above all though, I'm a city-dweller, as will probably be many prospective buyers, and I find the XUV/Safari simply too large. I was waiting for a car like this - the looks, the ground clearance and a peppy, frugal engine for mostly city use. I've heard it does okay on a dirt track too, and I rarely have more than two passengers.

It's a different segment, a different size from the XUV - and while it's not very premium, I think it's worth its price. In fact I almost considered a Premier Rio till I found out this was on its way (phew). I'd like to check out the EcoSport - but alas, 2013 is too far away. As they say, if you snooze, you lose.

I agree...XUV will have an edge over it.

Also, now Ford has chance to beat Duster atlest by pricing the Petrol variant of EcoSport below 7 Lakh. Lets see

Doubt that will happen though - First, the EcoBoost is a complex and expensive engine, they might have to price it on par with the diesel till production is up to full swing. Second, ford has already established a premium positioning with the Fiesta, and customers will now expect the same from the EcoSport (more so if they know it is based on the Fiesta). Finally, Ford is also known for its equipment, so I doubt even the base model will come fully stripped down.

The only trick up its sleeve is its sub-four-metre length, but I doubt even that will allow a sub-7-lakh EcoSport.

But let's see, I love being pleasantly surprised.

[tejasmehta990 4]

With this pricing and especially pricing of Diesel, Renault will be able to find impressive number of customers for Duster.

Duster will help Renault to establish it's strong hold in the Indian market which failed during launch of Fluence , Koleos and Pulse.

[neerajd 7]

ok finally I think I may have an image here...

[Arjun_M 11]

As of now, the Duster is overpriced. The launch of the Ecosport (scores over the Duster on multiple aspects, from the spec sheets itself) and eventually the Maruti Alpha, will confirm that. Fair, the Duster has Dakar rally heritage (while the XUV, likely to eat into its sales, lacks off-roading ability), but it's still overpriced. Lack of safety features is a huge disappointment, for a foreign carmaker.

[winner48 0]

Was eagerly waiting for this car.

But I am COMPLETELY disappointed.

If Renault can give Airbag standard in the Micra, why not the Duster?

And 85 BHP for a vehicle this big.

I do hope Renault is joking.