French automaker Renault showcased its global prowess led by Trezor – an all-electric Grand Tourer concept car, at the Auto Expo 2018. Trezor blends Renault’s dynamic design, latest innovations in interior experience, all-electric powertrain and autonomous driving. Trezor has been Renault’s showstopper at leading global auto shows and its presence at the Auto Expo 2018 underscores the importance of India in Renault’s global growth plans.
Fabrice Cambolive, Senior Vice President, Chairman, Africa-Middle-East-India (AMI) region, shared, “2017 was a record year for Groupe Renault with sales of nearly 3.8 million vehicles globally. Over the last 5 years, we have consistently increased our global sales volumes. There is an increasing contribution from markets outside Europe, which is testament that our global growth ambitions are taking shape. India forms an important part of this growth strategy and we have invested heavily to ensure that we have a strong foundation in this challenging and dynamic market. We have successfully established the Renault brand in India in a short span of time. We will continue to work towards increasing our sales volume and market share here, aided by our strategy of range renewal and quick network expansion.”
Together with Trezor, Renault demonstrated its expertise in the electric vehicle space with the showcase of Zoe e-Sport Concept. Renault India stands to gain significantly from the company’s progress in electric vehicles, as India is gradually moving towards adopting newer automotive technologies.
Sumit Sawhney, Country CEO and Managing Director, Renault India Operations, said, “The transformation to electric cars is inevitable in India, which poses a great opportunity to the automotive industry. It is time for the government to put in place a clear policy, time-frame and the necessary infrastructure to enable automobile OEMs to be adequately prepared and take strategic long-term decisions. Renault is the EV leader in Europe, with comprehensive knowledge about advanced and affordable EV technology, which we can harness through our technology centre in India. We have already made our presence strong in the focal segments of India’s automotive market and are future-ready to build our range, in keeping with evolving market needs and conditions.”
Another highlight at the Renault pavilion in Auto Expo 2018 is the design corner, which has five cars exemplifying Renault’s focus on design. These cars were the result of an innovative recruitment programme initiated in India.
Sharing details, Laurens van den Acker, Senior Vice President, Corporate Design, Groupe Renault, said, “India is one of our biggest international markets. Since Renault is synonymous with design, we have opened two design centres in India. Early last year, we launched an exciting initiative – ‘Design Academy India’, basis which we selected four talented candidates from more than 400 online applications. We are very proud to be presenting their projects here today on our stand. You will see four 1:5 scale models and one full-scale model. And we are also very proud to announce that we have hired three of the four trainees at our design centre in India!”
Apart from Trezor, Zoe e-Sport Concept and the design corner, the Renault pavilion at Auto Expo 2018 presented the Formula One racing car, R.S.17 and the complete India range led by the newly launched Captur and Kwid Super Hero Edition, together with Duster and Lodgy.
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