Renault is a well known brand name in the Indian Auto market. The company has received a lot of acclaim for its SUV Duster. Now it seems that the company wants to capture more of the Indian market with the launch of an MPV. Renault India is all set to bring the MPV Lodgy into the country. This car manufactured by Dacia was unveiled at the event of Geneva Motor Show in the last year. Since then, there have been rumors going around that the car will be brought to India. Now finally it has been officially announced that Lodgy MPV will indeed be launched in India. Although developed by Dacia, Lodgy will be launched in India with a Renault badge. The Indian auto experts are expecting that Renault will unveil the Lodgy at the 2014 Indian Auto Expo which is the biggest auto event in the country. The MPV Lodgy has already hit the showrooms in Ukraine and in this country as well Lodgy has been launched with a Renault badge.
Lodgy is a compact MPV (Multipurpose Vehicle) which has been developed by the Romanian automobile manufacturer, Dacia Automobile S.A. The car made its first public appearance at the Geneva Motor Show in the year 2012. The car is using a new platform called the ‘Dacia M0 Platform’. It offers a front wheel drive. This MPV in the international markets is available as both diesel run and petrol run models. The diesel powered Lodgy is carrying the renowned 1.5 liter K9K engine and is available in 2 variants. The petrol run model has two engine options which are a 1.6 liter aspirated engine and a 1.2 liter turbo charged engine. The car is available in both 5 seater and 7 seater body styles.
Talking about the Indian Lodgy, it has been confirmed that the diesel variant of the MPV will be launched here. This means that the car will be powered by the renowned K9K diesel engine of 1.5 liter capacity. Although to be competitive with the car pricing, the company will be using the lower powered K9K diesel engine which is having an output of only 84 bhp. This is not only cheaper but more fuel efficient as well.
The car will offer a 5 speed manual transmission. A higher powered version of this K9K motor is current being used in Renault Duster and it offers an output of 110 bhp. Since the Lodgy shares a lot of its mechanicals with the SUV Duster, its manufacture in India will be relatively easier for the company. This means that the company can launch MPV Lodgy at a very competitive price. The experts believe that the company should also bring the petrol variant of this MPV. This will help them to be in the race for much longer. It is expected that the company might use the 1.6 liter petrol engine from the Duster to power up Lodgy’s entry level model.
Currently, SUV Duster is the only successful product launched by Renault in India. The company is trying hard to change its image of being a single product company. The company is hoping that Lodgy will be its next big thing and this car will bring them great sales figures just like the Duster. After successfully launching the Lodgy MPV in the next year, the company is expected to bring the A Entry hatchback in the country. The A-Entry hatchback will be using the same platform as the Datsun i2. This car is being developed by Renault India at the Renault Nissan technical development center located in Chennai. This car will be equipped with an 800cc petrol engine
This 7 seater MPV, is expected to compete with some of the well established cars in the Indian market. The Lodgy will be challenging Maruti Suzuki Ertiga, Mahindra Xylo as well as Chevrolet Enjoy. This new platform, Dacia M0, is a low cost platform and therefore Lodgy will beat models like Mahindra Xylo and Toyota Innova when it comes to the pricing. The company has not officially declared the price of this new MPV. But it has been revealed by a reliable source that the company will most probably price the car in the range of Rs 6.5 lacs to Rs 7 lacs. This will surely act as bait in pulling the Indian buyers to Renault dealerships.
With the launch of the MPV Lodgy there will be another contender in the already overcrowded Utility Vehicle Segment. The car is expected to go on sale probably by the middle of the next year.