Renault SA outlines 2025 plans, reveals new Duster crossover

Renault SA has outlined its 2025 plans ahead of the upcoming festive season break.

Local MD Shumani Tshifularo is upfront about the realities his company faces and says there have been numerous challenges on both local and international fronts.

He also mentions that with more than 120 new alternatives expected to compete for sales in SA in the new year, his dealer footprint can’t sustain business with the existing fleet.

Renault SA VP of sales and marketing Zian van Heerden paints the picture of the product, price and sector positioning of Renault, highlighting that the four core products — the Kwid, Triber, Kiger and Captur — fall in line with SA’s average financed deal of R220,000, though more than 70% of cars on sale in SA now cost above R500,000. 

Van Heerden points to currency volatility as a hurdle for the brand, which last had a new model launch in 2022 with the latest Captur crossover model.

The exchange rate with the euro in particular determines the company’s local pricing. In the period January 24 to June 24, the rand was hovering around the R20 mark, which would have priced out of contention any models the company planned to launch this year.

With the exchange rate now at a more favourable position under R20 as the year concludes, Van Heerden says it affords Renault SA the opportunity to bring in new models at competitive prices and mount a stronger challenge against the competition, especially the runaway tide of Chinese brands with their attractively priced and designed offerings.

Chery’s unprecedented march to the top in 2024 has muscled Renault out of position five of the top sellers. However, the French company is adamant it’s on course to reclaim the lost position in 2025.

Tebogo Sekobe, GM product at Renault SA, has outlined the company’s 2025 model plan to attract customers back to the brand and as part of it the company’s first hybrid model will also debut in March 2025, when the new Duster arrives.

Sekobe says the company now has a focus on the mild-hybrid drive market and rising interest by customers in the dual-motor cars supports this direction. 

The new Duster was revealed to the automotive media at the La Joya conference centre in Muldersdrift last week. It presents a larger and more sophisticated cabin, while an improvement in ride height promises more off-road grit. 

Sekobe doesn’t share much technical detail of the SA specification but confirms the diesel alternative is officially retired for this market. The new Duster will arrive with petrol motors exclusively in front-wheel drive and the 4WD derivative with a mild-hybrid system.

Plug-in hybrids and battery-electric vehicles don’t form part of Renault’s short-term plans, but new models including the Kiger panel van, the enhanced Triber seven-seat MPV, the Arkana coupe-SUV crossover and the Trafic passenger bus model can be expected in 2025.

Beyond 2026 the company says it’s considering the Symbioz — a Kia Sportage and Volkswagen Tiguan rival and the seven-seat Renault Bigster for market entry.