Renault Rafale Spotted Testing in India, Launch on Cards?

Renault is looking to revive its fortunes by bringing back the Duster to India. Slated to make its debut on 26 January 2025, Renault is bringing back the Duster nameplate to India ever since the first-gen model went off the market in 2022. Besides the Duster, Renault might have other models in the making for the Indian market. 

Recently, the Renault Rafale was spotted on Indian roads. An uncamouflaged unit of the coupe SUV wrapped in a blue shade was seen on an undisclosed location. Based on Renault’s latest CMF-C/D platform, the Rafale sits above the Duster and even possibly above the upcoming seven-seater Bigster.

Renault Rafale: Design

The design of the new Rafale has been penned down by the new Renault design head, Gilles Vidal. Based on the French carmaker’s new design language, the design of the new Rafale has been crafted by the Renault design head, Gilles Vidal. Up front, the Rafale gets a mesh pattern grille embellished in chrome with Renault’s new brand logo at the centre and flanked by sleek LED DRLs. 

The trapezoidal front bumper with multiple horizontal slats gives the car a nice road presence. Other visual highlights on the Renault Rafale include large 20-inch alloy wheels, a duck-tail boot lip, black cladding all around, and arrow-shaped LED headlights. Along the sides, it gets at least 18-inch machine-cut alloy wheels. The side profile gets the imminent sloping roof line of a typical coupe. At the rear, the notchback-style liftgate houses sleek wraparound LED taillamps whereas the bumper gets gloss black finish and faux skid plate.

Also READ: BMW India's Electric Vehicle Penetration Soars to 21% in 2025

Renault Rafale: Expected Specs

Powering the Rafale is a hybrid drivetrain that pairs a 1.2-litre, three-cylinder turbo-petrol engine with two electric motors, delivering a combined output of 200 bhp — same as the Renault Espace in Europe. Higher-spec variants add an all-wheel-drive configuration by incorporating an electric motor on the rear axle. 

The Rafale is set to be produced at the Renault-Caudron alliance’s Palencia plant in Spain. The French carmaker hasn’t officially confirmed the launch of the Rafale in India, but if it were to come here, it will most likely be a fully-imported CBU model. Or else it could also be a case where Renault is using the Rafale only to bench test it for some other product. 

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