The French car maker Renault will position its upcoming small car above the ultra low cost car (ULC) that the company is developing in association with its global partner Nissan and India’s leading two and three wheeler maker Bajaj Auto.
It is to be mentioned here that Renault and Nissan, who are partners in the global market, will market an ULC car in India to which Bajaj auto is developing at its two and three wheeler platform. The car is expected to be priced in the range of $2,500 (Rs 1.25 lakh) and is slated to be rolled out in the Indian market in year 2012. While Bajaj auto will be taking care of development process, the Nissan-Renault partnership will handle the sales and marketing.
As per a recent statement given by Renault executive vice president (Sales and Marketing) Jerome Stoll, "Bajaj's (upcoming small car) will be much cheaper (from the small car that Renault is developing)."
However, the Renault small car is still in the early stage of development and the company hasn’t made any official announcement regarding timeline of launch of this car in India.
"Considering the total market of India, we think there is a room for another small car, which can be more affordable than the one we are already planning to launch," Mr. Stoll said. "The Indian car market is projected to be about six million plus by 2020 and the potential is very high here. We want to concentrate here and that's why we are focusing in India instead of China," he added.
Moreover, Renault is planning to launch as many as five new cars in the Indian market in next 2 years. Initially, the company will roll-out its premium sedan Renault Fluence in the Indian market in May 2011, following the commencement of its production in April. The next model in the line is luxury sports utility vehicle (SUV) Renault Koleos that will be rolled-out in the country in October 2011.
