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Renault unveiled the Duster crossover at the 2012 Auto Expo. The Duster is Renault’s low cost compact SUV, which uses Logan’s underpinnings. Renault officials said that the Duster would be in the hands of the customers before Diwali, so a September launch looks quite likely. The Renault Duster will be manufactured exclusively in India and will have high localisation. It will be available in both petrol and diesel versions, with the k9K dCi engine powering the diesel Duster and a 1.6-liter motor powering the petrol Duster. Renault plans to lead in this niche segment but the Ford EcoSport could be launched by then, giving tough competition to the Duster. The Duster is more than 4-meters in length while the EcoSport is sub-4 meters and hence the excise duties will be different for both cars.
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Renault claims the Duster to be affordable alternative to a sedan and plans to sell close to 50,000 units in right hand drive markets in the first year itself. The Renault Duster will be exported to other markets and will be produced at Orgadam, near Chennai. The Duster will be offered in 2-wheel drive version only and will be available across a slew of variants. The interiors will be revamped to suit Indian tastes as the standard interiors of the Duster are quite bland. Expect a price of Rs. 8 lakhs for the base petrol, with the top end going as high as Rs. 10 lakhs. With Maruti Suzuki too contemplating a compact SUV, based on the XA Alpha, the compact SUV segment is where the real action lies in 2012.
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