A new Indian-built Renault Duster SUV has been launched with different styling and powertrains and a more luxurious interior than the version sold in Australia and Europe, but it won’t be heading Down Under any time soon.
The five-seat Duster SUV was launched here in July 2025 as a rival to the Suzuki Jimny and Subaru Crosstrek, but Renault has now unveiled an India market-specific Duster as part of its broader global growth strategy.
Renault says the new Duster is due in showrooms across India – a right-hand drive market like Australia – sometime before April 2026, with exports to South Africa and the Middle East to follow.
While this would appear to open the door for the Indian-made version to either complement or replace the current Romanian-made model in Australian showrooms, Renault’s local distributor has told Olvera’s Car Care there are no plans to bring it here.
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“Renault Australia sources Duster from Europe,” a spokesperson for Renault Australia, which brings the Duster to Australia from the Mioveni, Romania factory, told Olvera’s Car Care.
India has a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Australia, as does Europe, with notable Indian-made vehicles already sold locally including the Suzuki Jimny – among other Suzuki models – as well as an expanding Mahindra lineup.
The Indian-built Duster is part of the ‘Renault International Game Plan 2027’, announced in October 2023, with the French automaker investing €3 billion (~A$5.15bn) to launch eight new models outside Europe by 2027.
Beyond their place of manufacture, differences between the India-spec Duster and the European-made version sold here include exterior styling tweaks, with different front and rear bumper treatments.
Both versions use the same CMF-B platform, with the India-made (Chennai) model having effectively the same 2658mm wheelbase as the Australian version, which is quoted at 2657mm.
There are marginal differences in overall dimensions, with the Australian model measuring 4345mm long, 1813mm wide and 1650mm tall, compared to 4343mm, 1813mm and 1659mm respectively for the Indian model.
The Chennai-built Duster also offers 212mm of ground clearance – the same as 4×4 versions sold here – but is available only in 4×2 form at launch, whereas Australian 4×2 models sit lower at 174mm on the same 17-inch alloy wheels.
Despite this, both markets retain an outdoor and adventure-focused positioning, with underbody and lower-body protection such as front and rear skid plates fitted.
The Indian model has an approach angle of 25.7 degrees and a departure angle of 29.2 degrees, compared to the Australian 4×4 model’s 31- and 36-degree figures.
More significant changes are found inside, with the India-spec Duster adopting a substantially different cabin design. The octagonal motifs and ‘Duster’ branding seen in Australian versions are replaced by a simpler layout.
Indian-market models feature a dual-screen digital layout, with a 7.0-inch instrument cluster on lower grades increasing to 10.25 inches on higher variants, paired with a standard 10.1-inch central touchscreen.
These run a Google-based infotainment system with Gemini artificial intelligence (AI) functionality and connected services, plus a 360-degree camera offering a dynamic 3D view.
Dual-zone climate control, rear air vents and ventilated seats are standard, as are a panoramic sunroof and power tailgate.
Advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) include autonomous emergency braking, traffic sign recognition, adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go functionality, lane-keep assist and lane departure warning.
The Australian-market Duster carries a three-star rating from independent safety authority ANCAP, while the Indian model has yet to be rated by local safety authorities. Both versions feature the same “ADAS safety personalisation shortcut button” allowing users to adjust system settings.
Indian buyers can choose from three powertrains, starting with a 74kW/160Nm mild-hybrid 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine paired with a six-speed manual transmission.
A 120kW/280Nm 1.4-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine is also offered with either a manual gearbox or a six-speed dual-clutch transmission, while a full-hybrid option combines an 80kW/172Nm 1.8-litre Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder petrol engine with an automatic transmission.
The Australian-market Duster, in contrast, is offered with a choice of a 113kW/270Nm turbo 1.3-litre four mated with a seven-speed dual-clutch auto, or a 96kW/230Nm turbo 1.2-litre three-pot paired with a six-speed manual.
The Duster is a critical model for Renault in India, where around 4.3 million new vehicles were sold in 2025, allowing the country to edge past Japan as the world’s third-largest new-vehicle market behind China (around 30 million sales) and the United States (around 15 million).
The B-segment SUV class the Duster competes in accounts for around 14 per cent of the Indian market, equating to approximately 602,000 vehicles annually – roughly half the size of the entire Australian new-car market across all segments.
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