Renault Kaptur (Captur) coming to India this year; begins testing

As French carmaker Renault continues testing its upcoming SUV, the Kaptur, in India, a fresh batch of images of the model has surfaced online, suggesting that the work on the model is progressing rapidly.

Also read: Renault December sales: Kwid continues to do wonders; sales up 9.2% 

The Kaptur is expected to make its entry into the Indian market in 2017. The new batch of images of the Kaptur, posted on IndianAutosblog, show the prototype under camouflage, thus not giving out any key details about the model. Renault Kaptur, which is likely to be made in India at the company's plant in Chennai, will be pitted against Mahindra XUV500 and Honda BR-V. 

Under the hood, the Kaptur in India is rumoured to come with 1.2-litre petrol and 1.5-litre diesel engines. The 1.5-litre direct injection, common-rail diesel version is expected to churn out 89bhp of power at 4,000rpm and 220Nm at 1,750rpm, and the transmission is expected to be handled by six-speed manual and a six-speed Easy-R AMT gearbox that is borrowed from its sibling, the Duster.

To be positioned above the Duster in India, the Kaptur, which is based on the company's Clio, measures 4,333mm in length, 1,813mm in width and 1,613mm in height, and has a 2,674mm wheelbase. The upcoming SUV is expected to host a touchscreen infotainment system, three-spoke multi-steering wheel and digital-analogue instrument cluster.

Meanwhile, Renault is reportedly planning to phase out its Fluence sedan and the Koleos SUV models from the company's portfolio in India. Renault is shifting its focus on the localisation of the models. The Fluence and Koleos are currently imported as semi-knocked down (SKD) units.

Image Source: IndianAutosBlog