Renault Lodgy to come with AMT and new base variant

Renault India has recently launched the Easy-R AMT variant in the facelifted Duster. Now, the car manufacturer is likely to offer the same AMT unit in the Lodgy. The addition new variants should allow Renault to attract more sales for the Lodgy, which is currently not doing so well in the MPV market. The Duster and the Lodgy are based on the same platform, hence incorporating the AMT sourced from ZF in the Lodgy won’t be a major task for the car maker.

The AMT variant should help to attract buyers who ply more on the city roads. The manufacturer will mostly introduce the AMT only for the 7-seater variants. The AMT option is likely to be offered for both existing engine output versions. Price-wise, expect the MPV to get costlier by around Rs 50,000. Currently, in the MPV segment, the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga is offered with a 4-speed automatic transmission, which is also expected to get an update, with the upcoming Toyota Innova Crysta set to come with a 6-speed automatic transmission.

The French manufacturer will also launch a new basic base variant of the Lodgy, which will be targeted at fleet operators. The company seems to have realised the importance of this sector which till now was neglected. This variant of the Lodgy is expected to come in variants specific to fleet vehicle and will be priced below the starting price of the standard variant, at Rs 8.29 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi.)

The Renault Lodgy faces fierce competition for the segment leader Toyota Innova in the MPV market. Toyota has currently discontinued the production of the Innova to prepare itself for the next generation which is due to be launch soon. This should allow Renault to generate more sales of the Lodgy.

Source-CarandBike