RENAULT DUSTER

The icon is back, and for Renault this a make-or-break opportunity riding on an SUV that gave this country its most competitive segment

- STORY: ANAGH BHASKAR

First launched in 2012, the Renault Duster became quite the sensation in the Indian market for a variety of reasons - it was one-of-a-kind SUV with butch proportions and bulbous curves, giving it size and road presence matching cars from segments above.

It kickstarted the midsize-SUV segment, a segment which is perhaps the most important for any mass-market automaker in India in 2026. And it was successful, going 2,00,000 units during its decade long run, but the replacement has taken some time to come, but it has arrived, with the 77th Republic Day marking the return of the iconic SUV to India. This is the third-gen Duster, and while the SUV made its global debut last year, the one that Renault India is piling its hopes on is slightly different compared to that one.