Believe when we say we saw it coming! Similar to how Renault saw a drop in sales of Duster in Brazil soon after the launch of the Ford EcoSport, the Duster compact SUV registered a relatively paltry sales figure of just 3089 units in India last month, just a month after EcoSport’s India launch.
While the July ’13 sales performance of the Duster doesn’t seem too promising, the manufacturer did manage to post a two fold growth on comparison with sales in July 2012. Compared to the corresponding period of last year, Renault India sold almost 2000 cars more in July 2013. However, on comparing the last month’s performance with that in June 2013, it can be seen that sales fell by as much as approx. 2300 units!
It may be noted that the Duster ruled its segment for most of the time it has spent in Indian car market. However, things seem to be changing with the advent of Ford EcoSport. While Renault India recorded a dismal sales performance last month, Ford India posted its highest ever sales figure during the same period.
With EcoSport looking poised to continue its onslaught on every car in its price range and Nissan looking all set to launch the Terrano compact SUV next month, we wonder if the Duster would be able to bounce back!
Duster Dusted