Pointers/Images from today's Renault press conference; What did they say?

08/09/2011 - 12:53 | Renault Koleos, Renault | Arjun Rajput

Renault India launched its second offering among the five it has promised by the end of 2012. Renault launched the first car in end of May 2011 which was the Fluence and now comes a premium SUV we've been waiting for since Auto Expo 2010 - the Renault Koleos.

Here are the some pointers from today’s launch.

Renault started the event reminding us of its 113 year long history and promises to be a long time and committed player in India.
The company plans to launch 5 new products by the end of 2012 out of which the Fluence and the Koleos have already been launched, the Duster, a hatchback on the V-Platform and a sedan will follow.
Renault targets to be among the top 3 international car brands in India by 2013.
Renault says India falls among their high priority band which includes Brazil and Russia.
After the launch of the Fluence, Renault was the 7th most searched keyword on Google and recorded half a million hits on the Renault India website.
Renault sold 700 Fluence cars in about 3 months which is above their expectation of 200 cars a month.
The company is highly satisfied with the performance of the Fluence and says it has hit just the right spot.
Renault plans 40 dealers by the end of 2011, 70 by June 2012 and 100 by December 2012.
The company is excited about Formula1 coming to India as Renault engines power 3 F1 Teams.
The Indian premium/luxury SUV market is growing rapidly and has shown tremendous increase and thus this is the right time to bring the Koleos, a top end premium SUV.
Len Curran, V.P Marketing Sales at Renault said ‘I’m pretty sure this is the most reliable and the most well built SUV in its price range and category’.
Target customer of the Koleos is a successful, quality conscious person who prioritizes quality and luxury over brand name.
India is the 2nd country to receive the new Koleos after China which received it a day earlier and will be offered in the Europe in the next week.
The Koleos is a CKD and it is assembled at the Renault-Nissan combine's Oragadam plant.
Besides the car being equipped with DPF (Diesel Particulate Filter) the company says bad quality diesel will not affect the engine but only the filter and that too when the car runs 100% on low quality diesel over very long journeys.
Deliveries of the Koleos will start in 10 days.
The company’s planned small hatchback is going well and test mules have already been produced and are undergoing testing.
The small hatchback will be launched at the Auto-Expo and deliveries will start in January 2012.
Duster SUV will follow by mid 2012.

Renault Koleos fast facts

5 Star NCAP safety rating
13.7kmpl in Auto 4WD mode, best in class for similar powertrain
71 liters of smart storage inside the car (excluding the boot)
Rear A/C vents with air flow control
Steering controls
Split tail gate supports 200kg
17’inch 2 tone alloy wheels
High quality soft touch dashboard finish
300w RMS BOSE audio with 8 units (including tweeters/bass module and digital amplifier)