Renault is looking to launch a CVT variant of the Duster petrol in India.

2016 Renault Duster Test Drive Review
Renault launched the diesel AMT Duster in 2016

The Renault Duster has been a volume-fetcher for the French automaker and all the initial success that the company has got in India can be attributed to this compact SUV. The Duster is available with a 1.6-litre petrol engine mated to a 5-speed manual transmission and a 1.5-litre DCi diesel unit offered in 85 PS and 110 PS tunes.

The diesel engine also gets the option of an AMT gearbox on the 110 PS tune but the petrol engine has never been offered with an AT. Things are about to change because the automaker is gearing up to launch an automatic version of the petrol Duster. The same K4M engine will be mated to a CVT gearbox.

It is likely that the CVT will be offered only in the RxL trim but Renault could also launch a higher RxZ version with more features. While the petrol variant of the Duster has never really fetched any demand, the CVT variant could be a decent buy for someone who has low running and still wants an AT. The Duster petrol CVT will compete directly with the Hyundai Creta petrol AT and Ford EcoSport 1.5 petrol DCT.

Renault Duster Petrol Automatic

– The petrol MT has a claimed fuel efficiency of 13.06 km/l
– The CVT variant could be slightly more efficient
– The petrol engine produces 103 HP at 5750 RPM

Hyundai Creta vs Renault Duster Shootout
The Duster petrol AT will compete with the Creta petrol AT head-on