Renault Duster To Be Discontinued This Year: New-Generation Model Launch Expected In 2022

The Renault Duster is expected to be discontinued this year. The company could halt the production of the mid-size SUV soon in India. However, the new-generation Duster unveiled recently could make it to the Indian shores next year.

The Duster is known to have started the mid-size SUV segment in India back in 2012 and garnered an excellent response from the Indian market. However, with new models entering the segment and rivals getting a new-gen update, the sales of Duster has taken a back seat in the country.

Over the years, the Duster has received several facelifts with feature upgrades and a new turbo-petrol engine that is the most powerful in the segment. However, none of these successful revived the sales for the Duster.

After the BS6 update, the company also decided to drop the much-loved diesel engine and AWD variant on the SUV. This gave limited options for segment buyers, who are known to prefer a diesel engine.

As a result, the company is looking to end the production of the outgoing model of the Duster in October 2021. The company has also notified the component manufacturers about the possible discontinuation of the current-gen Duster in India.

But the Duster nameplate itself will be not be retired and will look to make a strong comeback next year. Renault India's Managing Director, Venkataram Mamillapalle confirmed that the company is currently working on bringing the new-gen model of the Duster soon.

The new-gen Duster was also patented in India by the company earlier this year, which further confirms the arrival of the new SUV. The new-gen Duster is on sale in international markets since 2019. However, it was recently given a facelift, and we expect the same model to arrive in 2022.

The new Duster is expected to feature a host of changes over the outgoing model. However, under the bonnet, the powertrain is expected to be retained. The current Duster is offered in two petrol engine options: 1.5-litre and 1.3-litre turbo-petrol units.

the 1.3-litre turbo-petrol engine produces a maximum of 154bhp at 5500rpm and a peak torque of 254Nm at 1600rpm paired to either a six-speed manual or a seven-speed X-Tronic CVT. On the other hand, the 1.5-litre naturally-aspirated petrol unit produces 105bhp and 142Nm of torque paired to a five-speed manual gearbox as standard.

Thoughts About The Renault Duster Getting Discontinued This Year

As mentioned earlier, the lack of features and design changes since the launch along with the new rival added to the segment has led to low sales of the Duster. As a result, the company will discontinue the current-generation SUV and revive the brand name with the new-generation Duster next year.