Renault India Private Limited (RIPL), a completely owned subsidiary of the French multinational auto maker Renault SA, is developing a Multi Purpose Vehicle (MPV) specifically for the domestic passenger car market. The new MUV is identified as 'Lodgy', which is actually a model developed by the Renault-owned Dacia brand. Industry experts believe that the Lodgy MPV could see Indian daylight somewhere in the first quarter of 2014-15 fiscal. The model is expected to bear Renault badging just like its sibling Duster, which was also an original product of Dacia.
Speaking his mind on the latest development, Marc Nassif, Managing Director (MD), Renault India, was quoted as saying, “We will take the direction of where the market is going, right now the market is moving to SUV (Sports Utility Vehicle) and you look at our performance. MPV will see a huge trend and Renault will have to find a solution to go wisely and also find out what is best in our DNA to go into small cars.”
The yet-to-be launched Renault Lodgy is expected to pose some stiff competition against the likes of Mahindra Xylo, Toyota Innova and Nissan Evalia, upon its arrival in the country. At present, Toyota Innova and Maruti Ertiga are the leaders in terms of total sales in the MPV segment of Indian auto market. Sources suggest that Renault India will introduce its Lodgy model with introductory price tags in the range of Rs. 7 lakhs to Rs. 11 lakhs in the country.
Expressing his views on the competition that Lodgy MPV might face upon its launch on Indian turf, Nassif added, “Many launches (in the UV segment) are going to happen this year, so we cannot fall asleep. On our part, we are gathering speed on Duster... we would like to maintain the momentum. More products are coming, new evolutions on products are happening, you will see that later in the year.”
