French car maker Renault is working on three fronts — new products, network expansion and service quality — to spur volume growth and enhance market share in India.

It will roll out its new premium SUV Captur, which will be positioned above Duster with price range over ₹10 lakh, during the fourth quarter of 2017. It is also getting ready to introduce its MUV Lodgy, with speed governor shortly.

“Captur, which will come with a crossover DNA, will be our 4th all-new vehicle in India. It has sold over a million units globally. This will create a unique segment within the SUV space here,” said Sumit Sawhney, Country CEO and Managing Director, Renault India Operations,

He felt that a good number of buyers were migrating to premium SUVs, which are more than 4-mtrs and priced in the range of ₹13-14 lakh. “In the past, a lot of cars were sold in the price range of ₹8-10 lakh and they all want to graduate as they have better purchasing power,” he added.

The company will work towards higher localisation in Captur and will aim at local content to the tune of 75-80 per cent.

Sawhney also said his confidence in its MPV (multi purpose vehicle) Lodgy was intact. The monthly numbers of Lodgy have plunged by half from 650 units a year ago due to poor market conditions.

Lodgy could not tap the fleet market in 6-7 States due to speed governor issues. “This week we are going to have speed governor in our Lodgy,” he said. Also, there is not much competition in this segment. The company expects the demand to come back for Lodgy, he said.

Renault has expanded its dealerships to more than 300 and is expected to end 2017 with more than 320 outlets. “It is very important for us to keep expanding the network,” said Sawhney.

The five-year-old company, which as a few lakh customers, seeks to improve customer experience and has launched My Renault App, which offers more than 60 features including access to service history of vehicles, personalised reminders and notifications, online service appointments, among others.

Sawhney said the company is confident of clocking sales of more than 1 lakh units for 2017. It has achieved volumes close to 80,000 units in the first 8-month period of this calendar year.

On electric car plans, he said Renault would await the right government policy to take its investment decisions. “NITI Aayog is recently working on formulating a right policy framework for EVs and we are looking forward to that,” he said.

He also pointed out that new battery technologies are emerging and battery costs would come down significantly going forward. “The bigger challenge would be the availability of charging infrastructure. I am sure solutions will emerge,” he added.