An influx of UVs will soon hit Indian car market with various car makers bringing new SUVs and MPVs in the domestic market. It is being speculated that after tasting success in the compact SUV segment, Renault is gearing up to launch Dacia Lodgy MPV in India. The launch could happen anytime in the first quarter of 2015. After giving a miss at the 12thAuto Expo, the French car maker has put Lodgy on display at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show. Renault has a manufacturing unit located in Chennai where the upcoming Lodgy MPV will be produced. The production of the MPV is said to commence by the end of 2014.
Since the vehicle is expected to be manufactured in India, therefore we expect Renault to price it competitively. Speculations suggest that Lodgy could come with a price tag ranging between Rs 7 lakh to Rs 9 lakh in India. Dacia Lodgy is a capacious vehicle with a seating capacity of seven. Renault is expected to house the MPV with a 1.5 litre dCi diesel motor which the company currently proffers in its flagship compact SUV, Duster. The 1.5 litre diesel mill generates a varied power output of 85 Ps and 105 PS. The petrol variant of Lodgy could be equipped with the 1.6 litre gasoline engine which will again be borrowed from Duster SUV.
Both the engines are likely to be mated to a five speed manual transmission. An auto gearbox could also be proffered, however there are no details regarding the same as of now. Lodgy is also likely to borrow most of the components from Duster SUV.Dacia Lodgy is available for sale in various international markets, however in India it will be sold under Renault badge skipping the Dacia logo.
