2012 Renault Scala C-segment sedan images out in the open

Renault India will launch its second badge engineered car in the form of the Scala C-segment sedan, in the run up to the Indian festive season, a time when car launches happen left, right and center. The Renault Scala C-segment sedan is a restyled and rebranded Nissan Sunny, with the changes being cosmetic in nature. This also means that the 1.5 Liter K9K turbo diesel motor and the HR15DE 1.5 Liter petrol motor will make it to the Scala’s engine bay. A five speed manual transmission will be standard for both engines.

Speculative Render of the Renault C-Segment Car based on the Nissan Sunny Sedan

AutocarIndia is carrying images of the Scala, and we’re pleased as punch to proclaim that the spyshot closely resembles the render our roving eye in the sky, EarthFusion, conjured up many months ago. The Scala comes with a butch front end, with the hexagonal grille design of the Pulse, being carried over to the Scala sedan. The rear gets a change in the form of differently styled tail lamps. These changes and the Renault badging apart, the Scala is bog similar to the Sunny. This also means that the Scala will retain all the endearing qualities of the Sunny, stuff that has made the Sunny sedan Nissan India’s biggest success till date.

This includes the spacious rear seat, one which is class leading and a major draw for folks looking for a chauffeur driven C-segmenter. The rear gets dedicated AC vents to further bolster the comfort factor that the Scala/Sunny projects to prospective buyers. Safety features like twin airbags and ABS will be standard on the top end variants of the Scala, as is the case with the Sunny sedan. That said, the Scala is expected to priced higher than the Sunny given the traditional approach of all Renault products being priced a a premium when compared to Nissan cars.

So expect a price mark up of about INR 30,000 to INR 50,000 over the Sunny, for the Scala. The higher price tag will also mean that the Scala might not sell as well as the well priced Sunny, and the Scala is expected to be more of a presence marker for Renault rather than pulling big volumes. Also, Nissan is said to be testing an automatic variant of the Sunny sedan, due for a launch sometime in 2013. We’re not sure whether the Renault Scala too will get an automatic transmission variant, although it remains a distinct possibility given that the Scala is essentially the Sunny in Renault clothes. For the spyshots of the Scala, head over to AutocarIndia.