Renault has revealed a new car for India, and it’s their version of the Nissan Almera! Called Renault Scala, the sedan is said to be redesigned by local designers at Renault’s Mumbai design studio. It will be launched early next month with prices ranging from 7-10 lakh rupees (RM39,200 to RM55,982).
Looks wise, the conventional face of the Nissan has been discarded in favour of a rounded front end with a big single-part “mouth” that seems to be in fashion these days. Looks more premium, if you ask me, but I wouldn’t have guessed Renault without seeing the badge. At the back, the Scala gets new tail lamps and a chrome bar linking them. There’s no change inside, apart from the diamond badge on the steering wheel.
The Scala comes with a choice of petrol or diesel engines. The petrol unit is a 1.5L with 99 PS and 134 Nm, the same figures an Almera owner in Singapore would get. The oil burner offered is the tried-and-tested Renault K9K engine with 86 PS and 200 Nm of torque at 2,000 rpm. Both cars come with a five-speed manual gearbox, although the petrol can be specified with a CVT.
In Malaysia, the Nissan Almera was officially previewed by Tan Chong earlier this month. With “best-in-class cabin space” as a highlight, the Almera will be priced from RM70k to RM85k.
