Renault not to sell diesel cars in India from 1 April 2020
27 Dec 2019
French car maker Renault is phasing out diesel car production in India and does not plan to upgrade its K9K diesel engine to comply with BS6 emission regulations. The car maker has also discontinued the popular MPV Lodgy.
Reports said the car maker has sold all its stock of Lodgy 7-seater MPVs along with the phasing out of diesel engine. All future Renault models, including the Captur and Duster, will come with petrol engines only.
The diesel-powered versions of the Duster and the Captur will also cease to be manufactured from April 2020. The two cars will be sold only with the 1.5-litre petrol engine that produces 106 PS and 142Nm. This also means the Duster will not be available with AWD option anymore.
Renault is expected to upgrade the 1.5-litre petrol engine over the coming months. It is also safe to expect a premium for the BS6 variants of the Duster and the Captur.
Renault’s roadmap for future involves the petrol version of the Captur, Duster, Triber, and a sub-4m compact SUV. The Triber is also expected to gain a turbo-petrol engine and an AMT in 2020. These changes are welcome since Lodgy will be missed and Triber has to try and fill in those shoes.
Reports suggests that Renault will focus on petrol powered vehicles post BS6 and will only look for upgrades, including automatic transmission, or new models based on petrol engines.
In addition to the Triber BS6, Renault also plans to launch a new sub-4 meter SUV in the Indian market. It is expected to be launched in the second half of next year.
Renault is not the only carmaker in India to give up on oil burners. In fact, Maruti Suzuki and Skoda Auto Volkswagen India have already announced similar plans. The primary reason for this is the high costs involved in upgrading diesel engines to meet stringent BS6 norms, which results in a further hike in prices.