The Renault Lodgy MPV will help the company boost volumes as it’s only the Duster which manages to sell. The vehicle will be priced aggressively to take on established rivals.
Renault will be launching the Lodgy MPV in early 2015 and the company has revealed the very first picture of the Indian model. The Lodgy is the brain child of Dacia, Renault’s low cost brand from Romania. The success of the Duster low cost SUV has made the French automaker bullish about this low cost MPV. For the Indian model, Renault has made multiple changes on the exteriors, the grille gets the chrome treatment while the side also gets a chrome cladding instead of a black plastic one. The alloy wheels are different too.
The roof rails on the Renault Lodgy aren’t all black but get a silver finish. The rest of the car remains the same which means there are no changes to the headlights or bumper for that matter. The released studio shot of the Lodgy in purple make it look decent and although it’s quite early to judge, we find it better looking than the Honda Mobilio. Renault will soon release rear and interior pictures of the car and we expect the design to remain very similar to the international version. However, the interiors are likely to get multiple changes to make the cabin look premium.
When Renault launched the Duster in India, they made quite a few changes to the dashboard to reduce the basic look of the cabin. Still, the Duster came across as cheaply put-together and not worth its price, at least as far as interior appeal and quality goes. The Lodgy will share cabin parts with the compact SUV. It is expected to be priced aggressively, taking the fight to the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga and Honda Mobilio. Powering the Renault Lodgy will be the same engines as the Duster, the 1.5-litre diesel mill will be offered in 85 PS/200 Nm tune.
Renault states in their press release that the Lodgy MPV will “redefine the segment as a complete Multi-Purpose Vehicle and will deliver best in segment performance”. The company says it’s entering volume and growth segments to enhance its position in the passenger car market. Till now, the French automaker has been selling only one car in India, the Duster, the rest of the cars in the Renault line-up are big flops.
