Nikhil Sarin has stepped down from Honda Cars India and joined Renault India as its deputy vice president and head of Sales at Renault India, according to his LinkedIn post.
Sarin, who joined Honda Cars India as an area sales manager in 2014, was the national head for Sales & Sales Strategy when he stepped down from the Japanese automaker this month.
His appointment comes as Renault is scripting its ambitious chapter in India with complete control of the Renault Nissan Automotive India Pvt Ltd (RNAIPL) plant, a €600 million investment, and a renewed global vision.
The French carmaker recently announced that Stéphane Deblaise will be assuming the new role of chief executive officer of Renault Group in India on September 1. He is currently the CEO for Renault’s Korea operations.
In his new role, Deblaise will report to François Provost, who is the chief of procurement, partnerships, and public affairs at Renault Group.
Venkatram Mamillapalle, who is the managing director of Renault India, will continue in his role and support Deblaise on corporate affairs, contributing to the development of Renault’s mid-term growth strategy in the region.
With limited global options, India is a linchpin for growth for the French brand. With an investment of Rs 5,400 crore in India, and the region has now re-entered the Group’s global growth radar and the company has sharpened its focus on India.
Renault, which recently launched a refresh of Triber, has plans to launch five new models, including B+ and C-segment SUVs, tailored for Indian consumers. The company is set to launch the facelift of Kiger on August 24.
Renault is likely to bring its CMF-B platform to India this year, and new product launches are planned for both domestic and export markets. The automaker is also readying its electric vehicles for the future with a plan to get into the A-segment SUV.’
While the company has ruled out a return to diesel, it reinforces its commitment to CNG and ethanol and actively evaluates range extender technology and hybrids as part of its longer-term plans.
Renault recently rolled out a new brand identity and dealership format — ‘R Store’ — with India being the first global market to adopt the change. Renault’s market share had peaked in India at 2.7% in 2020, but fell to less than 1% in recent years.
In the wake of a strategic realignment with its global alliance partner Nissan, Renault recently took full control of the Indian manufacturing entity - Renault Nissan Automotive India Pvt Ltd (RNAIPL) - from Nissan.
RNAIPL is the central manufacturing base for Renault and Nissan in India, producing models like the Kwid, Triber, Magnite, and Kiger from its plant in Oragadam near Chennai.
The acquisition of full control in manufacturing here signals a new phase for the Renault-Nissan alliance in India, giving Renault greater autonomy and flexibility in production decisions.
Renault will now manufacture all Nissan vehicles under a contract model - a reversal of roles from the earlier alliance structure, where Nissan held a majority in RNAIPL.