The Indian Sports Utility vehicle (SUV) market is set to witness a turf war when the Mahindra Quanto takes on Renault Duster, upon its arrival during this year's festive season.
Renault Duster registered 10,000 bookings within a month of its arrival in the country and it will be really interesting to see how the car fares against Quanto, which is slated to be launched this month. The immense public interest in the compact SUVs has baffled the auto experts and the segment is currently the most competitive in the Indian car market.
The compact SUV segment is currently the fastest growing among other sectors of the Indian auto market and many auto makers including Nissan, Ford and Chevrolet among others are eyeing to capitalise on the prevalent market sentiments inclined towards compact SUVs. Ford EcoSport and Chevrolet Trax are expected to hit the Indian markets soon and the market is liable to face some stiff cut-throat competition.
Upon its launch the Duster SUV shook the foundations of the country's leading Utility Vehicle (UV) maker Mahindra and Southeast Asia's largest auto maker Tata Motors, when it outpaced the sales of Mahindra Scorpio and Tata Safari in the SUV market. Hence, the rivalry between Quanto and Duster is expected to be intensified and will be watched closely by other car makers who are in line to launch their own vehicles directed at the segment. The Premier Rio compact SUV is also an option in the segment with its humble price tag of Rs. 5.4 lacs but the vehicle failed to enthral Indian audiences due to its sub-standard quality and lack of proper service centres.
Shedding the light on the company's intentions, Pawan Goenka, President, Automotive, Mahindra & Mahindra, said, “The product will create a new segment in the market. This will be the country's first sub-four meter, seven seater vehicle that anybody will ever see. We have done a new engine for it.”
Marc Nassif, Managing Director (MD), Renault India, said, “Everything starts and ends with the customer, keep your customers happy everyday. What we did as we did on the other cars, is listen to the market, serving, asking people what they like and what they don’t like.” It has also been revealed that the company will be doubling the production of Duster in the near future.
Speaking on a new development, Nassif further said, “The Duster is a unique product for India. Duster line has been running one shift, two shifts in August, starting three shifts in September. We are increasing the output specifically on Duster.”
Renault, the French auto maker, is positioned strongly in the compact SUV segment as its Duster SUV currently holds the title of a 'market leader' in the Indian market. The aggressively priced Duster range starts from Rs. 7.2 lacs and some 15,000 units have already been registered, even though the waiting period is at present six months for the vehicle. Buoyed by the immense popularity of XUV500 SUV Mahindra is expected to launch the compact SUV Quanto at a price range around Rs. 5-6 lacs, in order to take the Duster head on.
The contentious pricing of Quanto coupled with the Mahindra brand name definitely gives it an edge over its rivals but nothing can be said with certainty about whether the car will out perform its closest rival, Renault Duster. So, gear-up for the gruesome tug-of-war between Quanto and Duster this Diwali and witness the action, which was missed in the Indian market for so long.
