2020 Renault Captur has been launched in European markets now with a starting price tag of # 17,595. it has been highly updated with a new design inspired by Renault Megane and keeps the overall silhouette intact. What we get in India is a 2017, previous generation of the Captur which shares Renault Duster's platform as it is more suitable for our market. Apparently it hasn't received great success in our market.
What's wrong with the Indian-spec Captur?
The problem with the Indian-spec Captur is that it is very similar to the Duster, has average interiors and still priced at a premium. Duster and Captur in India share the same powertrain options, platform, chassis and features as well. Despite the premium pricing, Captur never felt too premium either and when the market is full of fierce competition from cars like Kia Seltos, Tata Harrier, Mg Hector and even Nissan Kicks in this case, Captur feels extremely outdated and truly screams for a replacement.
If we recall the sales figure numbers of the Renault Captur of previous months, it was the month of October when the Captur managed to cross 200 units sales mark. Renault sold 103 units of the Captur in June 2019, 24 units in July, 32 units in August, 18 units in September, 222 units in October and 118 units in November 2019.
These numbers are atrocious when compared to the rest of the competition. Kia sold over 14000 units of the Seltos which is expensive than the Captur. Renault even announced a massive 3 lakh rupees discount on the entire range of Renault Captur in India which boosted its sale in October and November.
Rumours say that stocks of the Renault Captur are running out and Renault India has also halted the production. Renault Duster is doing marginally better in terms of sales when compared to the Captur in spite of its cheaper price tag after the official discount.
2020 Renault Captur details:
2020 Renault Captur has improved drastically in terms of its looks and features on offer. If we talk about the 2020 Renault Captur, it comes with striking C-shaped LED headlights and taillights, E-Tech Plug-in-hybrid paired with a 1.6-litre petrol engine and two electric motors, vertically free-standing 9.3-inch touchscreen, 10.2 inches all-digital driver's display, 18-inch wheels on top variants and connected car tech with OTA updates.
There are 4 petrol engines on offer, base 1.0 litre 3-cyl turbocharged producing 100 bhp and paired with a 5-speed manual gearbox, 1.3-litre turbocharged is offered with 130 bhp or 155 bhp and it can be had with either a 6-speed manual and 7-speed dual-clutch transmission and lastly is the 1.6-litre engine with PHEV. To satisfy people with high mileage needs, Renault has given 1.5-litre Dci diesel engine with 95 ps and 115 ps and has chucked it with a 6-speed manual and a 7-speed auto. Safe to assume India will get the 1.5 diesel (both 95 PS and 115 PS) and might continue using the current 1.5 H4K petrol.
Should Renault bring 2020 Captur to India?
Well, we think it's an absolute yes! Renault indeed has a great competitor to the likes of Kia Seltos, 2020 Hyundai Creta, Nissan Kicks and Tata Harrier. The global spec Captur has different platform and dimensions. It is evident that Renault has to stretch the dimensions of the 2020 Captur for the Indian market and also boast it with the features they give overseas.
If launched, then it will cover all the shortcomings of the previous-gen Renault Captur and also cope up with the competition by offering a sprinkle of European design elements and features which we haven't seen in the competition like full digital driver's display.
Also read: New Hyundai Aura to get optional CNG
