Renault India is gearing up to launch its first strong-hybrid powertrain under the bonnet of the Duster on October 17. The French carmaker expects strong-hybrid cars to become major volume drivers in India over the coming years. Speaking to our sister publication, Autocar Professional, Francisco Marques – Renault India’s Vice President for Sales and Marketing – described strong hybrids as a bridge between combustion-powered cars and EVs: “Hybrid is the perfect transition.”
Strong hybrids could drive sales for the next 20 years, says Marques
Marques expects this transitional period to last much longer than the immediate future. “Hybrid is going to be the main volume-making technology probably for the next 10, 15, or 20 years to come,” he said. According to Marques, EVs are not yet ready to dominate the Indian market on their own, with charging infrastructure and charging capacity likely to limit the pace of adoption.
The Indian passenger vehicle market continues supporting multiple powertrain technologies, including hybrids, CNG, and EVs, instead of one technology immediately replacing another. “Until EVs become something more, then there will be hydrogen,” Marques stated. He also expects strong hybrids to attract customers who might otherwise opt for diesel. “I see diesel declining, I see a strong hybrid growing very fast. And it’s related to the offer,” he said. Interestingly, diesel car sales grew by 15 percent year-on-year in the first half of CY2026, indicating that there still is a lot of demand for them.
More powertrain variety can improve the Duster’s slow sales pace
Since it went on sale in March, the Duster has been available exclusively with turbo-petrol engines – a sore point for many fans of the original Duster and its punchy 1.5-litre K9K diesel mill. It doesn’t help that many of the Duster’s midsize SUV rivals feature broader powertrain offerings: naturally aspirated petrol, diesel, CNG, hybrid, and electric. The lack of variety in fuel types is likely one of the reasons why the Duster has been falling behind in the sales charts – it managed a mere 406 wholesales in August, and has sold fewer than 7,000 units since launch. For perspective, the Kia Seltos sells an average of 10,000-11,000 units a month, while the segment-dominating Hyundai Creta averages 15,000-16,000 units sold.
A strong-hybrid powertrain will let the Duster directly rival the subset of hybrid midsize SUVs, namely the Toyota Hyryder, Maruti Grand Vitara, and Maruti Victoris. On paper, the Duster’s upcoming ‘E-Tech 160’ hybrid setup has an edge over those of its rivals. Where the Hyryder, Victoris, and Grand Vitara use a 116hp 1.5-litre three-cylinder strong-hybrid system and an e-CVT gearbox, the Duster’s E-Tech 160 powertrain combines a larger 1.8-litre four-cylinder naturally aspirated petrol engine, two electric motors, and a 1.4kWh battery pack (the Hyryder has a 0.6kWh unit). Combined output is 160hp and 172Nm, with drive sent to the wheels through a segment-first 8-speed dedicated hybrid transmission. Renault also claims that the E-Tech 160 can deliver 80 percent of urban driving in all-electric mode.
That said, pricing is likely to be crucial to the Duster hybrid’s reception in the market, which is why Renault has been working on localising the E-Tech 160. Strong-hybrid variants of the Grand Vitara, Hyryder, and Victoris are priced in the Rs 16 lakh-20 lakh (ex-showroom) ballpark, so if the Duster hybrid is priced similarly, or even lower, Renault can trigger renewed interest in its midsize SUV.
