After Renault pulled the plug off from the production of Duster in India, the lineup of French carmakers now is restricted to only three models – Kwid, Triber and Kiger. But it looks like Renault doesn’t want to abandon the segment of premium compact SUVs altogether. Recently, an undisguised test mule of the globally-available Renault Arkana was spotted on the roads of Chennai by ACI. The new pictures have fueled the rumours of the arrival of coupe-styled Arkana in the Indian market.
Is Arkana coming to India?
There are two different possibilities behind the testing of Arkana on the Indian roads. The one is for the component and vehicle testing for the Renault Arkana on various parameters in the diversified conditions of India. Many car manufacturers have tested their global models on Indian soil to test their mettle in different driving conditions without the idea of launching here in India. It seems that Renault might be testing the Arkana for the same reason, without planning it for India.
The second possibility is of launching the Renault Arkana here in India. It is the first proper sighting of the SUV-coupe here in India, and that too is in a completely undisguised form. It indicates two different options for launching the Arkana here in India. If Renault is intending to locally manufacture the Arkana in India, it will be based on the more modern CMF-B platform, on which the Europe-spec Arkana is based.
This time, Renault will avoid the archaic B0 platform of the Duster and Captur, which are sturdy but suit older tech. The possibility of using the CMF-B platform is also higher due to the e-tech badge on the test mule, which is present only in the Arkana underpinned by the CMF-B platform in Europe. The Arkana is also manufactured with the B0 platform as its base for the Russian market.
May come to India as CBU
There is another way Renault might launch the Arkana in India, if it is happening, and that is the CBU route. Renault might launch the Arkana as a brand-building product and bring the SUV in limited numbers through the CBU route.
This idea was successfully implemented by Volkswagen with the T-Roc and Tiguan AllSpace and Skoda with the Octavia RS 245 and Karoq in recent times. It will also justify the upmarket design and premium design of the Renault Arkana, which is one or two levels above the current Renault lineup in India.
The Renault Arkana is a coupe-styled SUV in the premium compact SUV segment and is positioned above the Duster in the global markets. The test mule of coupe-styled Renault Arkana SUV spotted in Chennai was the global-spec version, which was confirmed by the presence of an e-tech hybrid badge on its boot lid.
It is powered by a combination of a 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, two electric motors and a multi-mode clutch-less dog box transmission. The Arkana is also available with a 1.3-litre 140 PS turbo-petrol engine with mild-hybrid technology overseas.
Keyword: Renault Arkana spotted in India; Is it finally coming here?