The Renault-Nissan alliance is evaluating a mid-size electric car for the Indian market; likely to be the Duster-based EV
The market share of electric cars in the Indian market is increasing at a steady pace and all the car manufacturers have their own set of plans to venture into this high-potential segment. In line with this, the Renault-Nissan partnership in India is also planning to introduce EVs and as per the latest reports, a Creta EV rivalling mid-size electric SUV is under consideration.
Reportedly, the companies have dropped the plans of an entry-level EV for the country which was earlier a part of the electric car strategy. The aforementioned mid-size electric SUV will likely be based on the electrified version of the CMF-B platform and it is safe to say that the Duster EV could be the first fully-electric offering in India from the alliance.
The new Duster along with its Nissan counterpart based on the heavily-localised CMF-B platform is set for a debut in the domestic market by the end of next year i.e. 2025. The Duster-based EV will likely utilise the derivative of the CMF-B platform, of course, with relevant changes to accommodate the electric powertrain setup.
If some media reports are to be believed, the alliance is targeting a price point of Rs. 15 lakh to Rs. 20 lakh for its mid-size electric SUV which will go up against the likes of the upcoming Hyundai Creta EV and Maruti Suzuki eVX. The brand’s first EV for the domestic market will likely be a global model and India could serve as a production hub for the same. However, these are just speculations and nothing can be confirmed as of now.
The work of the project is said to have already started and efforts are being made to engage local battery component suppliers to keep the costs in check. Additionally, the CMF-B EV platform is also under development and it will likely be used by a variety of upcoming electric cars globally.
If everything goes right, we could see the electric Duster rolling on the roads sometime in the year 2026-2027. The Duster EV is expected to use an LFP battery pack with a claimed range of around 350-400 kilometres on a single charge. Next year, Renault will bring in the new generation Duster ICE to India while its Nissan sibling will also be introduced in 2025.