Renault Captur To Launch Later This Year

The Renault Captur SUV will be positioned above the Duster

French automaker Renault has confirmed the launch of its new SUV, the Captur, in India. The people mover will sit above the Duster and will become Renault’s flagship product in the country. The company calls it a premium SUV, with a strong crossover DNA! The announcement comes in months after the SUV was spied testing in India.

Worldwide, it is spelled differently. In Russia, for instance, it is called the Kaptur, but in Brazil, it is known as the Captur. Underneath, they are the same. Do not, however, confuse the Captur from Latin America with that from Europe. In the company’s home continent, the Captur is based on the Euro-spec Clio but the ones sold in Russia and Brazil are based on the Duster platform. Since it will be the latter that Renault will sell in India, it is bound to be a larger people mover than the one sold in Europe.

Although Renault hasn’t released any mechanical numbers for the India-bound Captur, it is likely to feature tinkered versions of the tried-and-tested petrol and diesel engines from the current-gen Renault Duster. Transmission options could be the same as well. Since the Captur is more of a crossover than an SUV, it'll be interesting to see if Renault offers all-wheel-drive tech with it. For the record, the Captur is expected to seat five passengers when it comes to India. Here's how it might stack up against the Duster and the Hyundai Creta, if we take the Latin American offering into consideration:

The Renault Duster starts at Rs 8.29 lakh and tops out at Rs 13.46 lakh  Similarly, the Creta's price ranges between Rs 8.92-14 lakh (all prices ex-showroom Delhi). If we had to take a guess, the Renault Captur is likely to start around Rs 12 lakh and go all the way up to Rs 14.5 lakh. Mind you, refreshed versions of the Hyundai Creta and Maruti Suzuki S-Cross, which is also a crossover, are on their way and will soon be launched in India.

The Renault Captur also impressed the industry when it received a four star safety rating from Latin NCAP (New Car Assessment Programme). The Captur is sold in Brazil, as standard, with four airbags. India might not get four airbags but if Renault plans to offer the same as standard, it'll be the first carmaker to do it in this price segment. Expect it to hit the showrooms in the last quarter of this year.

Renault has also crossed the milestone of 300 dealership outlets in India. This achievement makes it the fastest ramp-up in the automotive industry. Additionally, this landmark also helps Renault strengthen its stance of being the number one European carmaker in India. The company currently has a vision of breaking into the top five car manufacturers in India by 2020. That’s a daring dream from a company that has completed just over five years in India on its own and is planning its game in one of the biggest automotive markets in the world.