French auto major Renault is likely to introduce new versions of its best selling SUV - Duster - in India, in a bid to counter the increasing competition in the lucrative market.
The latest reports suggest that the Renault is planning to launch an automatic and 4x4 versions of the Duster in India by 2014. It is likely that the speculated models would make its entry at the Auto Expo 2014, scheduled for February, reported Business Standard.
Renault Duster, a vehicle which set new benchmarks in the SUV market, has been creating sales history since its launch. However, the launch of Ford EcoSport and Nissan Terrano in the same segment seemed to have dented the market of Duster but the company is not ready to throw in the towel easily. Earlier reports had indicated that Ford sold 4,715 units of EcoSport in India within two months, in comparison to the 3,089 units of the Duster.
"Typically in India when you introduce a new model there is lot of enthusiasm. In our case, we had a higher level of sales and now stabilisation is happening at a very significant level. The segment is busy and the market is not very good, after the initial enthusiasm and we are stabilizing," PTI quoted Renault Chairman of Asia Pacific Region, Gilles Normand.
"We are going to manage the life-cycle of this product, you can expect that in the coming months, there will be variations of the Duster," he added.
Beside this, the company is planning to foray into MUV (multi-utility vehicles) and hatchback segments as well in coming years, according to reports.
"If I give you some concrete example, one of the segments which is growing in India is MUV segment, which is fast growing. So it is one of the possibilities," said Normand.
