Caterham wasn’t the only carmaker to take advantage of the inaugural Indian F1 Grand Prix to get the pundit’s attention; renault did the same, with COO Carlos Tavares lifting the wraps off the French brand’s new Pulse supermini on October 29.
The Pulse will be built locally at the Renault-Nissan Alliance’s plant at Chennai and is the third model the French carmaker has introduced this year in India.
The other two models are the Fluence saloon and the Koleos SUV, while Renault plans to further expand its range in India next year with the Duster crossover and an as-of-yet-unnamed four-door saloon.
With small cars accounting for nearly 80% of new car sales in India, it is obvious that the Pulse is the model Renault is counting on to significantly boost its sales in the region.
Renault’s new supermini is based on the Nissan Micra, which is also manufactured at the same factory. It was developed by Renault’s Mumbai Design Center, and at the front at least, the Pulse features a more angular styling than the Micra.
The new Pulse will be on display at the New Delhi Motor Show in January, at which point the order books will open with engine options being limited at launch to a 1.5-liter turbodiesel dCi.
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