Renault unveiled the Pulse today in the vicinity of the Buddh International Circuit with the dust yet to settle from the qualifying. The Pulse, will feature the K9K family of engines, developed by the Renault Nissan Alliance and better known to us as the 1.5-litre dCi turbocharged common rail diesel, that does duty in Nissan’s Micra, Note, Tiida , Qashqai, NP200 and also the Renault Kangoo/Nissan Kubistar van range. The Pulse is part of Renault’s plans in India to deliver five products by the end of 2012.
The Renault Pulse has a 2+2 Year Extended Warranty, color schemes differentiating it from the Micra and in the opinion of this correspondent, a better looking front end. We do wonder though, did Renault miss the opportunity to give us what could have been a diesel hatch with universal appeal? Maybe, but that isn’t the point. The Pulse seems to be the next logical step, taking into consideration how the Renault-Nissan Alliance works. Reduced lead times, reduced development costs and the ticket into what seems to the most promising segment of the car market in India, that of the diesel hatch.
Red Bull Racing’s Mark Webber and Karun Chandhok were the surprise guests of the evening, fielding questions from the media and signing on the hoods of the special editions of the Pulse on display.
The hatch goes on sale in January 2012 and will be launched at the AutoExpo. The pricing has not yet been revealed. Renault was not willing to comment on whether the Pulse will be more expensive than the Micra, but we believe it would be on the higher side. Renault also confirmed that the Pulse is not for the export market. A petrol engine for the Pulse is not out of question, said Marc Nassif, MD Renault India. The dynamics of the market are obvious, and diesel seems to be the customer’s preference.
The Pulse was designed by Renault’s Design Center in Mumbai and will be manufactured in the Alliance’s plant in Chennai, which will also manufacture the engine.
Keyless entry, power windows at the front and the rear, electrically adjustable and auto folding ORVMs seem to be the highlights. The alloys on the sporty editions of the car were stunning.
Interiors
