Renault has made a big splash with the debut of the new Duster, but the French carmaker is certainly not pinning its hope on this one model to turn around its fortune in India. The company intends to accelerate the pace of introduction of new models, with at least one new launch every year. We know that the Duster will spawn a 7-seater SUV in due course, but that’s not all. The company is also understood to be working on a mini Duster, one that will slot in the compact SUV segment. 

Fabrice Cambolive, Renault’s chief growth officer and CEO of the Renault brand, hinted at the possibility of a mini Duster. “It’s a very good idea,” he said in an interview with Autocar India.

1. New sub-4-metre SUV will sit alongside the Kiger
2. Will be modelled on the Duster with a more upright, boxy SUV silhouette 

What to expect from Renault’s upcoming compact SUV?

Renault already has the Kiger in the subcompact SUV segment. However, despite being updated with a comprehensive makeover in mid-2025, it never really took off in terms of sales, averaging just about 1,000-1,200 units a month. That’s likely on account of the crossover-esque look, which doesn’t quite click with Indian buyers, who like more upright and boxy SUVs. 

And that’s exactly what the mini Duster is meant to address. The rugged and true SUV stance of the original Duster was one of its biggest appeals, and so it is with the new Duster. The upcoming compact SUV is also expected to be modelled on these lines, where an upright and boxy silhouette will mark it out from the Kiger, which has a coupe-ish roofline. One can also expect other typical SUV design traits, such as rugged body cladding and large wheels. The powertrain is likely to be the same as the Kiger’s, with the mini Duster using the same 1-litre turbo-petrol HR10 with manual and CVT gearbox options. 

This as-yet unnamed compact SUV, however, is still some time away and is expected to only arrive after the 7-seater Duster derivative. So, one could be looking at a launch timeline of around 2027-28.

Case for a second compact SUV

It is becoming common for brands to expand their portfolios with more than one product in the compact SUV category. For instance, Maruti has found success with both the Brezza and the Fronx, which are two completely different products. Similarly, Kia also has the Sonet and Syros with very different positioning to cater to different buyers. Mahindra will also adopt a similar approach with its upcoming NU platform-based SUVs.  

Most importantly, the revision of GST rates in 2025 has once again brought back interest in the compact segment, both from carmakers and customers. The sheer volume here is too large to ignore. Pricing in this space is key and will hinge on the amount of localisation Renault can achieve.