Auto Expo 2012 - Renault launches the Pulse and unveils the Duster

Renault today launched the Pulse and unveiled the Duster at the Auto Expo 2012. The Pulse is essentially a face-lifted Nissan Micra, the difference being that the Pulse will only be launched with a diesel engine. The addition of this car to the Renault line up means that it will now have three models in the Indian automobile market all launched within the last 8 months.

The Pulse will come with a 1.5-litre dCi engine delivering 64PS at 4000rpm and a peak torque of 160Nm at 2000rpm, which Renault claims will deliver a mileage of 23kmpl. Two variants, RxL and RxZ have been announced and the list of features for the top of the line RxZ includes passenger and driver air bags, engine start stop button, automatic climate control, 15-inch alloys among others. Prices will start at Rs 5.7 lakh for the base model and the top of the line model will cost Rs 6.25 lakh, ex-Delhi. You can read about the Pulse in our this month's issue.

Mr Marc Nassif, MD Renault India said "We have come a long way to what we had committed two years back to our Indian customers at the previous Auto Expo. The Pulse is a product designed and developed by our Indian design studio at Mumbai, focusing on the Indian customer's aspirations, tastes and preferences. We are very optimistic about the performance of Renault's first mass segment product and expect the Pulse to add a new chapter to Renault's growth story in India."

Renault also revealed the Renault Duster a luxury SUV that they are expected to launch mid 2012 to broaden their portfolio. This will be manufactured in India at their Chennai plant and will be available with both petrol and diesel engines. The Duster has improved styling and the front end looks cleaner and sharper thanks to the new grille and clear lens headlamps. The exact specifications of the engine were not revealed at the Auto Expo but the European model which Shumi drove from France to Italy in March 2011 had a dCi engine with 110PS and another one with 90PS. We expect the 110PS to come to India.

The Duster would be manufactured with a heavy localisation of parts and so we expect it to be priced competitively to compete with the Mahindra Scorpio and the Tata Safari. Of course now they have the Ford EcoSport to contend with.