Renault Duster Production Ends in India

• Published On: 16 February 2022
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It was manufactured at the Renault-Nissan Sriperumbudur facility near Chennai

Renault India has stopped the production of the Duster SUV in the country. It was manufactured at the Renault-Nissan Sriperumbudur facility near Chennai. Renault Duster had quite an eventful journey in the Indian market for the last decade. The SUV was introduced in 2012 and within the first year of its launch, more than 40,000 units were sold. Renault Duster is widely credited for the birth of the compact SUV segment in India which was later followed by several brands like Hyundai, Maruti and Tata with products like the Creta, S-Cross and Harrier, respectively.

Renault Duster went on sale with two engine options namely a 1.6L petrol and a 1.5L K9K diesel. The diesel engine returned power output in two trims. The SUV achieved the 1 Lakh sales milestone two years later in 2014. The company, going a step ahead, introduced the all-wheel-drive variant of the SUV in diesel fuel trim that year itself. Needless to state, Renault Duster AWD is still considered one of the best vehicles in the budget-friendly 4x4 SUV segment due to its impeccable off-roading abilities. The French automaker presented the AMT gearbox with the Duster facelift in 2016 while the CVT unit was introduced at a later stage. The arrival of CVT gearbox propelled the brand to replace the 1.6L petrol unit with a fresh 1.5L naturally aspirated engine.

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Renault had to bid adieu to the tried-and-trusted 1.5L K9K diesel engine in 2020 due to the introduction of BS6 emission norms in India. The CVT gearbox variants with the 1.5L petrol engine were also discontinued. The bandwagon was also joined by the diesel all-wheel-drive variants. The company launched the SUV in a new avatar with a 1.3L turbocharged petrol engine which developed top power of 156 bhp, making it one of the most powerful SUVs in the segment. The CVT gearbox once again made its entry to the Duster line-up with the new petrol engine. Presently, Renault has not planned any replacement product for the Duster in the Indian market as the company is not in a mood to launch the new-gen Duster in the country. Though the new-gen Renault Duster is already on sale in several global markets.