The Joint Venture between popular French auto maker Renault and Japanese giant Nissan is busy considering an all new small car developed especially for the Indian market. Basically, the idea is to battle it out against the bestselling Maruti Suzuki Alto and latest entrant Hyundai Eon in the high volumes small car segment. The car will be positioned below the Nissan Micra and upcoming Renault Pulse.
The project, right now, is in very initial stages and it may take as much as a whole year before it is officially announced. There also is a good probability of the usage of the well known V platform (Micra/Pulse and Sunny were spawned out of it) . It is evident that Renault-Nissan is surely in a mind to have a larger chunk in the growing Indian automotive market and what better way than focusing on the A and B segment for more volumes.
Gerard Detourbet, head of Renault’s entry level division has been appointed to oversee this project. “40-50 % of the car market in India is at the entry level and going ahead too it will form onethird of the total car market. So, our entry is inevitable. And this is a step in that direction,” Sudhir Rao, COO, Renault India.”