Dust settles
The Renault Nissan Alliance announce their next two SUVs, with four more cars on the horizon
THE IMAGES TEASED THE NEW 5-SEATER SUVS FROM BOTH BRANDS
THE DUSTER MIGHT JUST RETURN TO India! Late last month, the Renault Nissan Alliance’s big bosses arrived in India to take stock of the business situation here, meet the Indian team at the plant and R&D centre, and speak to dealers. On the sidelines of all of this, a press conference was held that outlined plans for the next few years.
On the cards are two new SUVs from each brand, one being a five-seater and one being a seven-seater. The images teased the new 5-seater SUVs from both Renault and Nissan. These SUVs will sit in the C segment, rivalling the likes of the Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Skoda Kushaq, VW Taigun and everything else that sits in that segment. The SUVs are expected to be based on a localised version of the CMF-B platform, that underpins the likes of the Duster globally. The Renault SUV does have a resemblance to the recently unveiled Duster for global markets, with a similar headlamp and grille shape, though this teaser image features a distinct DRL signature and bumper design. The Duster nameplate does have plenty of nostalgia associated with it, and could be revived with this SUV. There’s no clarity on what the Nissan SUV would be yet. Maybe Nissan could revive the Terrano or Kicks nameplate, or it could be a completely fresh name altogether. Time will tell. There are no official timelines for the launch of these SUVs just yet, but we expect them to launch in 2025.
The 7-seater SUVs will be based on the same platform, and will compete with the likes of the Hyundai Alcazar, MG Hector Plus and lower variants of the Safari and XUV700. If Renault-Nissan stick to the same strategy as the Kiger and Magnite, expect these SUVs to be aggressively priced compared to their rivals.
These SUVs aside, two more cars are in the pipeline for the Alliance. An EV could be on the cards but nothing concrete has been announced yet. Renault CEO Luca de Meo said, “We are rethinking our strategy entirely,” and that they want an EV plan that will be, “solid, effective and sustainable”. For now, the brands will continue with the Magnite and the Kiger until the new SUVs come to fruition next year.