True to their promise, Renault unveiled their small car for the Indian market, the Pulse on 29th October 2011. Renault totally surprised everyone by showcasing a car which was eerily similar to the Micra and not an all new thing. We had predicted that Renault’s small car would be the Modus, however, based on the V platform, the Pulse seems to be a mirror image of the Nissan Micra.
This new Renault Pulse would be built at Renault-Nissan’ Oragadam facility in Chennai. Coming off similar assembly lines mean that the costs would be on the lower side and Renault can price it very competitively. The Renault Pulse seems to be an evil twin of the Micra. Where the Micra looked all bubbly and cheerful, the grille of the Pulse shows that it has got some evil intent. A blacked out grille and wider apron ensures that the Pulse would look like a SEMA refugee of the Micra. Different alloy wheels design, though we aren’t sure if they would be present in the production version; ensure that the SEMA intentions are kept alive. The interiors also follow the Micra’s way and the prevalent circular theme makes it presence felt.
Not only this, the Pulse would also share the engine components as also the entire drivetrain. However, Renault would initially be bringing in the 1.5 liter diesel engine and then the 1.2 liter petrol one. As it is, majority of the sales of cars in India happen to be skewed towards diesel. Renault plans to price the Pulse between the Micra and Swift. Not only this, Renault also plan to cash in on their racing DNA and build up a souped up Pulse complete with body kit and the stuff. The Pulse would be officially available for sale post the 2012 Auto Expo in India.
