The New Renault Duster, a strong and reliable SUV with genuine off-road ability, is available across the GCC from today (May 7), the company said.

The SUV was officially unveiled at the 2011 Dubai International Motor Show by Mark Webber, Red Bull Racing Renault Formula One driver and Mustansir Lakdawala, managing director of Renault GCC.

The New Renault Duster is a particularly versatile 4x2 and 4x4 vehicle, which combines a spacious interior with saloon-car comfort, while its compact footprint and high ground clearance ensure that it is at home in and about town as it is on country roads or off the beaten track, said a statement.

The New Renault Duster will be available in GCC in 4x2 4-speed AT and 4x4 6-speed MT versions powered by a 2.0 16V (135 hp) engine, especially tested in the GCC.

  To confirm its strength and reliability, the new vehicle covered the equivalent of four million kilometers in a wide range of climates and in particularly punishing conditions. One month of rigorous testing in GCC conditions prior to launch was carried out few months ago to make sure all standards of Renault quality will be met and the vehicle conforms to GCC specifications and requirements, the company said.

Lakdawala said: “We took into consideration the needs of customers aiming to own a modern car as a badge of social progress, but what they want most of all is a robust, reliable and versatile SUV vehicle they can afford. We had to take GCC extreme climate factors into account, as well as driving conditions that could be rough and varied (long distances, jammed roads)..,so we took on the challenge of offering an all-terrain vehicle that was less complex but still reliable and affordable, that combined the design of a real 4×4 with the comfort of a saloon, it’s a very popular concept specially following the world economic crisis, which hit household budgets hard and made many people think twice before buying a new car.”

Benoit Turibe, marketing director of Renault GCC, added:  “Duster is enjoying great success everywhere, since it has gone on sale it achieved more than 280,000 units worldwide, it’s present in Europe, Africa, India, South and Latin America.”

The New Renault Duster’s price is a selling point all over the region. As an example, the price in Dubai starts from Dh48,600 for the entry level model, the statement said.  - TradeArabia News Service