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French auto major Renault said that it reported a marginal increase in market share in India. The company said that the increase was mainly due to Duster.
The company said sales were stable (down 0.6%) in a market that shrank 5%. Renault group posted a 1.6% market share (up 0.1 points), thanks to Duster (refer table on Duster sales vs total units)
Sumit Sawhney, executive director, Marketing & Sales, Renault India Pvt. Ltd recently commented that the Duster has been company's flagship product for just over a year, playing a crucial part. The growth in Duster sales shows continued desirability of the model among Indian customers, despite the shrinking market, he said in a statement earlier.
Renault India Pvt. Ltd. is a fully owned subsidiary of Renault S.A.S., France and currently offers five models in the Indian market – the premium sedan Fluence, the luxury SUV Koleos, the premium compact car, Pulse, the SUV, Duster and the premium sedan, Scala.
Renault India also exports the Duster to right-hand drive markets, with India set to become a production hub for right-hand drive cars.
French auto major Renault, which is also the Alliance partner for Nissan globally. The alliance partners have invested around Rs 4,500 crore to set up a manufacturing facility at Oragadam, near Chennai.
Meanwhile, the company said, in a global automotive market that increased 4.6%, Renault group’s registrations totalled 614,888 units, up by 3.1% year on year. All the regions, except Asia-Pacific, reported sales growth and improved market share.
In the Asia-Pacific Region, group registrations decreased 30.4% in a market that increased by 6.1%. Excluding Iran, the group reported a 6.6% increase in the Region.
| Month | Duster | Total Sales |
| January | 3,554 | 4,914 |
| February | 5,590 | 6,723 |
| March | 6,313 | 8,232 |
| April | 5,362 | 6,314 |
| May | 5,146 | 6,013 |
| June | 4,524 | 6,007 |
| July | 3,089 | 3,763 |
| August | 2,967 | 3,773 |
| September | 3,973 | 4,822 |
