Official: Renault confirms launch of Captur premium SUV in India soon

After countless spy shots and rumours, French carmaker Renault on Monday announced the arrival of its premium SUV, Captur, in India. Renault India has confirmed the launch of the new SUV this year.

The company calls Captur a premium SUV with strong crossover DNA. The India-spec model is essentially the Kaptur on sale in Russia. Kaptur has been designed for emerging markets and is not based on the Euro-spec Capatur's Clio platform. However, the India-spec will adopt the European models name starting with 'C'  rather than 'K'. Captur will be positioned above Duster and will be the new flagship model of the company.

"We are delighted to announce that we will launch our premium feature loaded Renault Captur in India this year, which has delivered global success and is widely acclaimed for its stunning design expressive design ... Like all our offerings in India, there will high levels of innovation and customisation in the Renault Captur that will be launched in India, to best suite the Indian customers," said Sumit Sawhney, Country CEO and Managing Director, Renault India Operations.

The company has not divulged any further information on Captur. The India spec model will underpin Renault Duster's M0 platform instead of B platform to keep the price in check. In addition, aggressive localisation is also expected on India-spec Captur to price the vehicle competitively.

If Renault decides to go with Duster's platform, chances are high that both the vehicles will also share powertrains. The 1.5-litre K9k diesel engine develops 89bhp of power at 4,000rpm and 220Nm at 1,750rpm, which is expected to get a slight bump in Captur.

Renault may also sell Captur with the 1.5-litre petrol engine. Both the engines will be mated to six-speed manual transmission. Renault may add a 4WD version and automatic gearbox options to the line-up later.

Renault India has also crossed the milestone of 300 dealership outlets in India.