Auto India, Car India

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Renault has officially made public, its new sedan named Fluence in India. Reports suggest that the car will be available in two variants, a 2.0-litre petrol engine, and secondly a 1.5-litre diesel engine.

The car is said to be priced at Rs 14.40lakh (INR) (ex-showroom Delhi). This pricing is for the fully loaded petrol CVT variant, while you have to empty your pockets by 12.99lakh rupees (INR) (ex-showroom Delhi) for its diesel version. The Renault Fluence is said to have tough competition in the mid sized sedan segment with the likes of the Volkswagen Jetta and the new Laura from the Czech manufacturer Skoda.

The all new petrol motor with the CVT technology, in the new Renault Fluence will develop a good 137bhp, whereas the diesel will have a modest 105bhp of maximum power. According to reports from the company insiders, the diesel variant of the Fluence will register good, balanced fuel economy of around 21.84kmpl. The car gets a nice, comforting suspension, and Renault has made sure that it will be well tuned for added comfort. Also, due to better suspension, Fluence has managed to give something more appealing to the Indian buyers as its ride quality is going to be smooth and free of bumps on Indian roads. Reports suggest that the equipment levels will be more or less the same as other cars in the segment, as the new sedan from Renault is going to get fully loaded with all the sporty gadgets viz. Keyless Entry, Push button start, Bluetooth Connectivity, ABS, EBD, dual zone climate control, ESP and four airbags for those who need security features on the list.

It is said that the Renault’s new venture in the Indian market is far better than its previous car, the Logan, which was a joint collaboration project with Mahindra & Mahindra. Unlike the Logan, the Renault Fluence looks simply superb from any which way you see it

Mr. Marc Nassif, M.D Renault India said,  “The Renault Fluence was designed for the Asian market, and hence we are confident that it will not only shake up the segment, but also give the Indian customer their first taste of what Renault is capable of bringing to the Indian market. In India, the Fluence will be assembled from CKD kits, shipped in from Renault’s Turkey plant, but expect a fair bit of local content, which will be essential to keep costs down.

Nassif has also said that the car company is still carrying out all the feasibility reports in order to make it an ‘Ultra Low Cost’ car. He also told that this venture will be jointly shared by Bajaj Auto. Mr. Nassif also said, “If the ULC really matches our DNA, we will go ahead. If the quality of development matches with the promises we see, we will go ahead,”

The Romanian car company claims that it will have around 14 dealerships in 12 major cities in India by the time the all new Fluence is launched. The car manufacturer also has plans to expand this network, by the end of this year.

The company is aiming to set up around 40 dealerships by end of December 2011, making this number even bigger by targeting it to around 100 dealerships in 55 Indian cities by the next year.