New Updated Renault Duster to Launch in India by 2020?

As we have already informed you, Renault India is planning to launch the facelifted version of Kwid hatchback in India, and it is also planning to launch all-new Kwid-based RBC MPV in India. Now there have been rumors about the launch of updated version of brand’s mega-hit Duster SUV in India since quite some time, and the recent reports suggest that the new version of Duster could hit Indian markets in 2020, and it may be showcased in India at the 2020 Auto Expo.

In a recent interview, the CEO of Indian arm of French automaker Renault, Venkatram Mamillapalle said this about the upcoming vehicles of the brand:

We have new product launches in 2019 and 2020. Two new products will be launched, one in July (2019) and the other, the year after that.

The first-generation model of the Duster was a hit among the Indian public, and brought in very good sales numbers for the French automaker, however, it has been 7 years since the vehicle was launched in India. The Duster SUV has not been updated since its launch in 2012. Meanwhile, the competition has been getting stronger with every passing quarter and new rivals such as the South Korean Hyundai Creta, and the crossover Maruti Suzuki S-Cross have severely eaten into the sales of the Renault Duster. No to mention that the French automaker’s SUV also feels old and dated in comparison to the newer rivals present in the market. The company has been offering hefty discounts on the models and has also facelifted the ageing SUV, but to no avail as the sales have constantly kept dipping, and the star of the Renault stable now brings only less than a thousand units per month in seals.

Therefore, a complete model update will just be what the doctor ordered for the Renault Duster. The new model will certainly help Duster remain competitive in the market, if not gun for the top spot. Perhaps this is the reason why the automaker has scheduled the Duster SUV for an update early next year. The all-new model of the Duster will still be based on company’s B-Zero platform, and the silhouette of the car will remain the same, although we will get to see a lot of changes on the design front of the all-new Duster SUV. Given that the Duster will be updated in 2020, the French automaker will keep the upcoming emission regulations in mind, and may not offer the engine found in current model on the updated all-new model of the 2020 Duster. The new engines on the updated model will surely comply with the upcoming BS-VI regulations.

The current engines on the Duster will undergo a lot of changes and we might actually see a turbo-petrol engine on the updated Duster as well. The AWD model like the current model may also be carried over to the updated version of this SUV. Manual gearboxes on the new Duster are certain, but the choice of an automatic version may also be provided.