Speculation: New Renault Scala Facelift Launch Next Month

Other than the Duster, the Renault range in India has not really caught the Indian buyers’ fancy. It’s not the vehicles’ fault per se and infact, all of them are fine products to be honest. However, they are just not attractive enough to lure an average Indian away from the clutches of Maruti, Hyundai, Honda, and a few others……when it comes to buying a product in the range of three to fifteen lakh rupees – which accounts for almost 85 per cent of the four wheelers sold in India!

Nissan-Sunny-Facelift-White
Sunny with the new face

It is equally surprising though that in a country where we love truckloads of rear seat space and comfort, the Scala despite being one of the best in that category, has not done well for the manufacturer’s sales. The Nissan Sunny in comparison has done slightly better and the imaginative (and irritating) TV commercial with “Caaar” in the tag line has worked in its favor.

That is kind of expected considering that Scala is essentially a Sunny with a new face and Renault’s logo but at a higher price. This means that, with the recent launch of facelifted Sunny in July this year, Scala has to adopt the change sooner or later.

And in a report on Rushlane.com, speculations are ripe that Renault will be launching the Scala facelift in September 2014 which is just next month. Even if the launch doesn’t take place next month (since the Duster 4WD is scheduled for next month), it will be the following month of October 2014.

The changes would be cosmetic in nature when compared with new Sunny. However, updates will be deeper when we talk about it in comparison with the current Scala.

We can expect the usual affair of new headlamps, grille, bumper, etc., when it comes to the front-end of the car while the rear will see some touching-up too. New design alloy wheels should make the car more interesting to look at in profile and the wing mirrors should also see get integrated blinkers.

On the inside, the new car is expected to come with a rear-view camera to help you reverse the big car easily, and the music system should see an upgrade too. Piano black finish on the centre console, chrome inserts, leather on steering wheel and gear-shift know, and a few other features would comprise the list of changes in the interiors of the Scala facelift.

Renault-Scala-Travelogue-Edition
Current Scala Travelogue Edition

Like the new Sunny, Scala facelift is also expected to return higher mileage from its 1.5L DCI diesel engine. Currently, the regular petrol variants of the Scala are priced between 7-8 lakh (ex-showroom) in Delhi and you do get a lot of car for your money.

The Scala Travelogue Edition (RXL petrol) was perceived to be expensive at around 8.5 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) despite being quite loaded with features and equipment. The pricing of diesel variants, at 8.7-9.6 lakh, takes it closer to the best sellers in the segment, and Renault will have to adopt an aggressive marketing strategy to popularize this car among the masses.

Related: Three new Renaults soon – a hatch, an MPV, and the Duster 4×4

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