Buoyed by the immense success of its Duster, the French auto maker Renault has revealed intentions to introduce its first Multi Purpose Vehicle (MPV) Lodgy in the country's passenger vehicle market somewhere in 2014. At present, the company has a modest five products in its portfolio comprising Pulse hatch, Duster compact Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV), Scala and Fluence sedan along with a premium SUV Koleos on Indian turf. Renault India Private Limited (RIPL), a subdivision of Renault S.A., is expected to introduce its Dacia Lodgy at the 2014 New Delhi Auto Expo and the MPV is set to be positioned just below Duster in the company's Indian fleet.
The French auto major has developed its yet-to-be launched Renault Lodgy MPV through its low cost car manufacturing subsidiary Dacia. Evidently, the company has one model in every prominent passenger vehicle segments of the Indian auto market, with an exception of MPV segment. Considering trends reported in market during the ongoing year (2012), the compact SUV and MPV automobile segments have emerged as one of the most promising sectors for growth on domestic turf. The compact SUVs Renault Duster and Mahindra Quanto broke all the records in utility vehicle market, while Maruti Suzuki's Ertiga MPV managed to pull off segment supremacy from the stable hands of Toyota Innova. Therefore, it is natural for Renault to aspire for a decent market share in Indian MPV market with its upcoming Dacia Lodgy.
The Ertiga MPV managed to win over Indian audience largely because of its Maruti Suzuki make, a brand that enjoys an undisputed popularity and market share in the country. Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL), the country's favourite passenger car maker, found little resistance from then segment leader Toyota Innova towards luring domestic car enthusiasts to its retail outlets. Considering the prevalent scenario, the Ertiga is expected continue to recent form and keep on piling number of sales in the country. However, the news of Renault bringing Lodgy to India might ring a few bells in MSIL stable, as some intense competition is nothing but inevitable in the near future.
Renault officially launched the Dacia Lodgy MPV at 2012 Geneva Motor Show. The engine specifications of Lodgy variant marketed in European auto markets comprise 4 cylinder motors available in both petrol and diesel guises. The petrol models feature a 1.2 litre turbocharged Energy Tce 115 and a 1.6 litre aspirated engines, while diesel model incorporate a 1.5 litre Renault K9K powertrain. Further, Renault offers two drivetrain options – five speed or six speed manual transmission in its Dacia Lodgy. However, top industry experts are saying that the Indian arm of Renault might launch only a diesel powered Lodgy MPV in the domestic car market, which seems like a justifiable decision.
On the other hand, Maruti Suzuki Ertiga MPV is available in both diesel and petrol models in the country. The petrol Ertiga comes fitted with a 1.4 litre, 1373 cc, K14B K-Series powertrain installed with a VVT (Variable Valve Timing) technology, which churns out a maximum power around 94 bhp and a peak torque delivery of 130 Nm. The diesel Ertiga comes assimilated with a 1.3 litre multijet turbo diesel engine installed with Variable Geometry Turbo (VGT) and DDiS (Direct Diesel Injection System) technologies. The diesel power-mill rolls out a decent power and torque equation as well, around 89 bhp and 200 Nm, respectively.
The second half of 2012 has been phenomenal for Renault during which the company produced its first segment leader in form of Duster, besides introducing Pulse hatch and Scala sedan in the country. The compact SUV Duster has pumped a majority of total vehicle sales for its maker, since its launch in July 2012.
From the engine specifications, both MPVs - Renault's Dacia Lodgy and Maruti Suzuki Ertiga seem like an impressive mixture, which could be a thing to watch out when the vehicles battle it out for real in 2014. The Ertiga carries the upper hand here mostly due to its Maruti Suzuki make along with immense respect and faith for the brand among Indian car enthusiasts. It is going to be an exciting competition between Ertiga and Lodgy but nothing can be said with certainty as many things could happen till 2014.
![Renault Duster [2020-2022]](https://imgd-ct.aeplcdn.com/160x89/n/cw/ec/47028/duster-exterior-right-front-three-quarter-4.jpeg?q=80 "Renault Duster [2020-2022]")
