The announcement last month that Renault planned to revive the Duster delighted a lot of people. It makes sense because the Duster essentially created the midsize SUV market in India by setting the standard. It had a sizable fan base, and Renault’s failure to maintain it modernized was the only factor in its downfall. With the release of the new generation model, that is now different, and while reintroducing it shouldn’t be too difficult, there are a few obstacles I hope Renault doesn’t trip over. Here is my letter to Renault outlining three obstacles that they need to be aware of.

Forget about brand equity.

The Duster brand still has strong equity, despite what some marketing professionals might have you believe. Therefore, don’t invest a lot of time or money in brand awareness campaigns. Recall that the Duster’s failure to stay combat-ready was the only reason it died. Unlike the Captur, whose brand value never really developed, the beloved brand can easily make a welcome comeback because it stood for a solid product. 

Spend no less on features.

Even if the brand is well-known and the predecessor was successful, the market is much more competitive now. You have well over six vehicles: the C3 Aircross, Kushaq, Taigun, Astor, Hyryder, Grand Vitara, Creta, and Seltos. However, if you look at the ones who are huge hits, you’ll notice that these are the ones that have a fully filled kit. They aren’t the most affordable, the roomiest, or the best drivers. No, features are what clients value most nowadays, so pack the Duster to the gills with everything you own. If that still isn’t enough, start adding equipment right away. Citroën itself had to postpone the launch of the future C3X in order to give it more amenities, as a result of strong customer backlash to the lack of features on the C3 hatch and Aircross SUV.  

Presenting the powerful hybrid

Indeed, electric vehicles (EVs) are the way of the future, but even in 2030, their share of the market will only be 30%. This indicates that ICE will continue to have a commanding majority. Moreover, the overall growth means that that 70 percent would equate to more cars than the current market. Bring in your strong-hybrid option now that you have one. By then, diesel will be practically extinct, yet consumers will still adore fuel economy. You also have time to localize the technology.

That’s the three main things that I believe you should be aware of. As a Duster fan, I truly want to see this one succeed, so even if you probably already know this or are thinking about it and more, I thought I’d write this to you.

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