Renault's 'Fluence' to roar on Indian roads

Following its global success, French car major Renault is all set to hit Indian roads with its flagship luxury sedan 'Fluence'.

After testing the vehicle for over one lakh kilometres on the Indian roads, the auto major will formally launch the car in the country's capital on Monday.

"We will be formally launching the car on May 23 at Delhi," Renault India Country Managing Director Marc Nassif said.

However, he declined to reveal the price of the vehicle saying it would be announced only at the time of launch. According to industry experts, the sedan is likely to come with a price tag in the range of Rs 10 lakh-Rs 12 lakh.

Stating that the parent company in 2010 had sold 2.6 million vehicles worldwide, Nassif said currently Renault has 10.7% market share in Europe, 37% in Russia and 5.3% in Latin America.

Referring to the launch, Nassif said it would be brought to the country as Completely Knocked Down (CKD) unit and be assembled at their joint venture plant with Japan's car maker Nissan at Oragadam near Chennai.

Both Nissan and Renault have embarked on a Rs 4,500 crore joint investment at the Chennai plant spread over a period of seven years. The plant has a initial capacity of two lakh units, which can be ramped up to four lakh units.

Renault India Deputy Country Managing Director, Sudhir Rao, said, the was to sell 1,800 units this year and admitted that the production would be a "constraint" at the facility for at least six months.

Fluence would be available at 12 dealership outlets across the country initially.

"Currently, we have appointed about six dealerships. By the end of May we should be having 12. The plan is to have 100 dealership networks by 2012," Rao said.

According to company officials, Fluence would be available both in Diesel and Petrol versions. The Petrol version is equipped with 2.0 litre 140hp, with Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) or manual six speed gearbox while the Diesel version is powered by 1.5 litre engine.

The car has four air bags, electronic stability control and Brake Assist as its standard features, Rao said.

In 2010, Renault sold 1.30 lakh units of "Fluence" cars worldwide.