Renault set to launch four more cars in India by 2012

Renault India plans to launch the Koleos SUV by the end of this year, besides three more cars in 2012, which will also include a small hatchback, a top company official said today.

The Koleos SUV model will be launched in the segment below Rs 20-lakh, where it will compete with cars likes Honda CR-V, Chevrolet Captiva, Ford Endeavour and Toyota Fortuner.

"By 2013, we are eyeing a market share of 2.5%, and 5% in the long term. During phase one, we will open exclusive dealerships in 14 cities to cover around 55% of the market. During phase two, we will be present in 30 top cities to cover around 70% of the market and by 2012, our dealerships will be present in 75 cities in India to cover 89% of the market with 100 dealerships," Renault India's Vice-President (Sales and Marketing) Len Curran said on the sidelines of launching Fluence, its luxury sedan.

The Renault Fluence has been launched in India, in both petrol and diesel versions. The petrol version comes with a 2.0 litre engine couples with a CVT automatic gear box, while the diesel version has a 1.5 litre engine matched to a six speed manual gear box.

Renault already has a very strong presence in India, with investments of about Rs 5,000 crore in setting up an alliance Greenfield facility for manufacturing 400,000 cars per year, a global technology and procurement centre, in Chennai, a full-fledged Renault Renault Design Studio in Mumbai and a global logistics centre in Pune.