Renault India, which has kicked off its new aggressive growth programme starting with the new Duster that marks the company’s return to the fast-growing midsize SUV segment, wrapped up FY2026 with its best monthly wholesales in 35 months.
In March 2026, Renault India dispatched 5,046 units to its dealers, which is a handsome 77% YoY increase (March 2025: 2,846 units) and saw the manufacturer register monthly wholesales of 5,000-plus units after a 35-month hiatus. Before this, March 2023 (5,389 units) was the last time when Renault dispatches had crossed 5,000 units. This strong revival in monthly numbers can be attributed to early consumer interest in the Duster, which is only expected to grow further in the coming months.
According to apex industry body SIAM, Renault India produced 1,864 units of the Duster in March 2026 and dispatched 1,402 units to its dealers. Last month, the company’s plant at Oragadam in Chennai manufactured a total of 5,595 units comprising 3,164 units of the Kiger SUV and Triber MPV, 1,864 units of the Duster and 567 units of the Kwid hatchback. Of the total wholesales of 5,046 units, the Triber was the best-seller with a 40% share (2,011 units), followed by the new Duster (1,402 units, 28% share), Kiger (1,184 units, 23% share) and the Kwid (449 units, 9% share).
Ex-showroom pricing for the third-gen global-spec Duster, which has been extensively re-engineered for the India market, starts at Rs 10.49 lakh through to Rs 18.49 lakh while the on-road sticker starts at around Rs 12.43 lakh, depending on the city. The Duster is powered by 1.0-litre turbo-petrol and 1.3-litre turbo-petrol engines, with a strong hybrid powertrain set to join the line-up by November 2026.
While its safety rating has yet to be revealed, Renault claims the midsize SUV has been engineered with a five-star Bharat NCAP score in mind. The Duster’s primary rivals include the midsize SUV market leader Hyundai Creta, Maruti Victoris, Kia Seltos, Tata Sierra, Maruti Grand Vitara, Toyota Hyryder, Honda Elevate, Skoda Kushaq and Volkswagen Taigun.
THIRD-GEN DUSTER TO BRING RENAULT BACK IN THE VOLUME GAME
Renault was once perceived as a potential passenger vehicle market disruptor, first with the Duster in 2012 and then with the Kwid in 2015. The company’s volumes peaked in FY2017, when it sold 135,123 units and captured a near-4% market share with these two models. However, new rivals in the form of the Hyundai Creta (launched in July 2015) and Kia Seltos (launched in August 2019) saw Renault India wilt under the pressure. In FY2025, Renault India sold just 37,900 units with its PV market share contracting to 0.88% and in the just-concluded FY2026, the 42,019 units give the company a slightly better 0.90% PV market share
First launched in India in July 2012, the Renault Duster kickstarted the monocoque midsize SUV segment but bowed out a decade later. Over 10 years, the first-generation Duster sold an estimated 199,871 units in India with FY2014 (46,786 units) being its best fiscal year when it had a 9% share of the 525,942 utility vehicles sold in India.
Now, the return of the Duster brand in its latest third-generation avatar promises to bring Renault India back into the volume game. The model’s strong showing in its first month offers a glimpse into its future sales potential, even though the Duster will battle in the fiercely contested midsize SUV segment.
At the Duster’s global reveal in Chennai on January 26 this year, Fabrice Cambolive, Chief Growth Officer Renault Group & CEO Renault brand, had said: “As part of the Renault International Game Plan 2027, we are making India a key pillar of our growth outside Europe. We now have a strong ecosystem in Chennai, bringing together design, engineering, manufacturing, and local operations at the highest level – making India one of the most complete and powerful hubs in Renault's global network. Today, we have the means to fully support our ambitions in Inda, to better understand customer expectations, and to deliver products truly adapted to this market. The new Duster is the first step in Renault's renewal in India.”
On April 16, Renault India unveiled the new ‘FutuREady India’ strategic plan aimed to drive growth both locally and globally while strengthening engineering and manufacturing capabilities to ensure long-term competitiveness for the Renault Group worldwide. This aggressive growth strategy, which aims to make India one of the Renault’s top three global markets by 2030, has begun with the launch of the Duster and will see the rollout of another seven new models and two new architectures spanning electric, hybrid, CNG and ICE powertrains.
(With inputs from Autocar India)
ALSO READ: New Nissan Gravite sells 2,603 units since launch, outsells Renault Triber in March