Renault India Pvt Ltd, the fully owned subsidiary of Renault SAS commenced its export activity with the shipment of first batch of its popular SUV the Duster from the Ennore port in Chennai.
Renault India started its operation in the Indian market in 2010 as an independent OEM and launched its first product the Fluence in June 2011. Since then, it has launched 5 products in the domestic market and offers a full range of products to its customers.
With the export of its first consignment of 350 Dusters to the United Kingdom and Ireland, Renault India has made its first foray in to right hand drive markets across the globe. Renault's manufacturing facility at Oragadam, near Chennai is currently the only facility globally to produce the right hand drive Duster, which will be sold in the domestic market as well as exported from here.
The Duster was launched in the domestic market in July 2012 and has been a huge success domestically, with nearly 19,000 units of the Duster being sold in India from July to November 2012, a demonstration of the vehicle's attractiveness to customers in the highly competitive Indian market.
Mr Marc Nassif MD of Renault India Pvt Ltd said that "We created a whole new segment in the Indian automotive market with the Duster launch in July 2012 and demonstrated Renault's commitment to the Indian market with the introduction of a reliable, efficient and innovative vehicle. India is an important market for Renault globally, with the country set to become one of the top ten markets for the company worldwide by 2013 and to sustain this ambition an unprecedented 5 models have been launched in the Indian market along with setting up of 75 dealerships in less than 18 month which is the fastest ramp up in the Indian market."
Mr Nassif said that "We will continue to focus on meeting domestic demand in India, while also exploring new opportunities in exports and in making India the global hub for right-hand drive vehicles."
