Renault has officially announced a major price slump across the Duster range as it tries to lure in customers opting for subcompact SUVs
Last August, rumours floating floating around the internet suggested that Renault decreased prices of its Duster by up to Rs. 2 lakh for the diesel variants unofficially. Its scale of relevancy was not know though, but for potential customers wanting to own a Duster and have been hampered by its price range, here is a good news for them! The French manufacturer has today announced that the prices of the popular SUV have significantly been reduced courtesy of the increased localisation level.
This is against the run of play as automobile manufacturers are increasing prices across their range citing various economical reasons and as part of yearly cost revision. The 2018MY Renault Duster sees a price slash between Rs. 29,746 and Rs. 1,00,761. The entry-level RXE petrol now starts at Rs. 7.95 lakh and it goes up to Rs. 9.95 lakh for the top-spec RXS CVT model.
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On the other hand, the diesel range, which has nine trims as opposed to just three petrol variants, now starts at Rs 8.95 lakh for the base manual 4×2 and it raises up to Rs. 12.79 lakh for the RXZ 4X4 MT (all prices, ex-showroom New Delhi). With the price reduction, Renault expects to witness surge in sales numbers and crucially maintain the market position of the existing Duster before the mooted arrival of a new generation model sometime next year.
It is no secret that Duster has cemented the brand name in India ever since it went on sale in 2012. However, with the competition reaching newer heights, it could not sustain its erstwhile monthly average sales in recent years. As a response to rivals like Hyundai Creta, the Duster received a minor facelift and automatic variants in 2016 but they were not enough to bring back the average 5,000 unit sales endured monthly in previous years.
Also Read: New Renault Duster Could Launch In India In 2019
Currently, the Duster is powered by a 1.5-litre diesel and a 1.6-litre petrol engine. The oil-burner is sold in two configurations: 84 bhp and 200 Nm and 108 bhp and 240 Nm. The petrol engine makes 102 bhp and 145 Nm of torque. The 84 bhp diesel and 1.5 petrol mills are mated to a five-speed manual while the 108 bhp diesel is connected to a six-speed manual.
In the top-of-the-line RXZ, the Duster gets the shift-on-fly all-wheel-drive system and the high-spec diesel and petrol can be had with six-speed AMT and five-speed CVT gearboxes respectively. Would you choose the Duster because of its price cuts or go with latest and capable subcompact SUVs like Tata Nexon and Honda WR-V instead? Have your say below!