Renault Duster is a product which acts as a face of the French automotive giant, in India.
Renault Duster is a product which acts as a face of the French automotive giant, in India. A remarkable journey started for this brand, soon after this product started retailing in our country. This SUV brought all the fortunes to brand by clocking an average sales figure more than 5000 units per month, during initial days, which then settled around the mark of 3500 units per month. This also means that Duster continuously brought around 85% of total sales for Renault. But staying in competition is all about evolving with time and need of the market. This is where Duster is falling short and which is reflecting in its recent sales figures, which fell below 1500 units mark in May.
Renault Duster AWD – the latest update received by the SUV
In the month of April, this year, the first sign of major decline in sales figure was noticed as only 1707 units were dispatched. The decline continued in last month as well, when it managed the figure of 1429 units. Interesting thing here is that, this decline is noticed soon after the Renault Lodgy was launched two months ago. This new MUV’s sales figure stands just under 2000 units in the month of May. This makes us think that Lodgy is eating up into the Duster’s pie. Also the SUV’s closest competitor – Mahindra Scorpio, was extensively revised late last year. Thanks to its refreshed appeal, Scorpio’s sales figure too climbed up and is hovering around an average of 4000 units.
Initially, being the first mover of its segment, Duster enjoyed its monopoly in the market. Anticipating its popularity, company priced the car with premium margins. But now the product feels to have lost its shine, especially when standing against its revived competitors. Nissan Terrano – Renault Duster’s clone, is also affected by this but not as bad as Duster. Is this decline in sales figure a temporary phenomenon? Or is it a wake up call for Renault India to bring the overdue facelift model? If at all company plans to bring the facelift model, they need to work on several areas to improve overall quality and increase the value for money quotient. After all, the compact SUV segment is no more an easy turf to play on, especially when market leaders – like Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai, are on the verge of entering it.