Renault Confirms 4 New Cars For India: Duster To Bridger
Renault on Tuesday (March 10th), announced the futuREady, its new strategic roadmap. The company plans to sell 2 million vehicles globally by 2030, and wants half of it to come from markets outside of Europe. India is an important market for Renault outside Europe, and will soon be turned into a global production hub. The company has confirmed that between now and 2030, four new models will be designed and produced in India. These will include conventional petrol, hybrid and full-electric products. The Bridger concept previews the first of the upcoming launches.
Renault’s sales revival in India will be based on a bunch of interesting products. The Duster is the first in the line. Renault has already unveiled it here and the prices will be out on March 17th. It is underpinned by the Renault Group modular platform (RGMP) and gets several India-specific changes/highlights. It is significantly different from the model sold in Europe. The carmaker has used its learnings from being in India for long, to design and package this product.
At launch, the Duster will be available with two engine options- 1.0L turbo-petrol and 1.3L turbocharged, four-cylinder petrol (TCE-160) engines. The former makes 98hp and 180Nm while the latter has an output of 160hp and 280Nm. A 1.8L strong hybrid petrol engine will be introduced later- sometime around Diwali.
The Bridger concept previews a small B-segment SUV that has been completely designed and developed in India. It has reportedly been developed to meet the company’s new global standards. Underpinning the Bridger-based SUV is a smaller version of the RGMP platform. This architecture is highly modular and versatile. It will support multiple fuel and powertrain options.
The Bridger’s production form is expected to come with petrol (naturally aspirated and turbocharged), hybrid and electric powertrains. The naturally aspirated engine will be a newly-developed 1.2L unit. The Bridger-based SUV will go on sale in India around the festive season of 2027 and will be produced at the Chennai factory.
The third product will be a three-row C segment SUV based on the new Duster. It will likely be the India-spec production form of the Bigster concept. In simpler terms, a Boreal that has been designed specifically for our market.
This SUV will also be underpinned by the RGMP platform. It will likely borrow its powertrains from the five-seater. Like the Duster, this seven-seater SUV will also come feature packed and will have a large, roomy, tech-heavy cabin. Time remains before we find out more about the exterior design of this vehicle.
The fourth product will be a small electric hatchback, likely based on the Kwid. Expected to be out sometime this year, this could be based on the Spring EV sold abroad, but with heavy localisation. When launched, it will compete with models like the Tata Tiago EV, Citroen eC3, and MG Comet here. It will likely be offered with a 26.8 kWh battery pack with a claimed range of around 250km per charge. The powertrain is likely to have an output of 63hp and 113Nm.
Renault has been present in India for over 15 years, and now intends to deepen its presence with the Bridger-based SUV. Renault’s strong understanding of the Indian market, a full-fledged supplier network and cost-effective manufacturing in Chennai will help it materialise the Bridger project.
The company will turn India into a global production and supply hub for its products. Vehicles produced in Chennai will be exported to multiple international markets. In addition to India, Renault has international industrial facilities operating in Morocco, Türkiye, Latin America, and South Korea.