2013 Renault Fluence Is Inspired By Koleos

Renault has facelifted the Fluence for 2013, giving the vehicle minor changes to both the exteriors and interiors. The front of the updated Fluence looks very similar to the Koleos crossover. The changes are part of Renault’s plan to keep things fresh on the Fluence till the next generation model arrives by 2015. Renault has currently released a small promo video of the 2013 Fluence and will soon unveil the car at the Paris Motor Show. We will bring you more details and pictures as soon as it happens.

Renault currently assembles the Fluence in India, bringing the car via the CKD route. The Fluence was never meant to be a volume product for Renault India and was launched as part of a brand building exercise. Renault will certainly bring the facelifted model to India in 2013, which might appeal to a larger audience. Renault currently sells 100-200 units of the Fluence every month. The Fluence will continue to draw power from the 1.5-litre diesel and 2.0-litre petrol engines.

The lower end of the D-segment is a crucial market for many car makers as even though the volumes are not high, profit definitely is. Chevrolet is currently leading the lower D-segment with its Cruze, while Toyota has been consistently selling close to 500 Corolla Altis every month. Most buyers look for a diesel car in this segment and Renault does have a very frugal offering with the Fluence. However the Fluence doesn’t look premium compared to the Volkswagen Jetta and the Hyundai Elantra. Thus this facelift is important for boosting sales of the Fluence in the Indian market.