Marc Nassif, Country Head and Managing Director of Renault India, will wrap up his tenure in the country in the coming months. He is expected to take up a much larger role within the company, which could include a special focus on the Asia-Pacific region.
News of Nassif’s imminent departure was recently made public within sections of Renault’s dealer community. There are indications that Sumit Sawhney, Executive Director, is one of the leading contenders for the top position.
Nassif, who has been with Renault India since 2006, has played a critical role in the company’s turnaround since the time it pulled out of its Logan joint venture with Mahindra & Mahindra. At that time, not many thought the French automaker could manage a revival. Today, India is quickly on the way to becoming one of Renault’s top 10 markets.
The ‘step-by-step’ approach, which Nassif studiously advocated, led to Renault bringing in top-end vehicles such as the Fluence and the Koleos to India as part of the first phase, post-Logan. It was on its own, without former ally M&M, which meant brand-building was critical. What Renault really needed, though, was a product that would get the numbers and the answer came in the form of the Duster. For Nassif and his team, the hard work finally began to yield results as this aggressively priced SUV caught people’s imagination.
Game changer The Duster took off with a bang and, at its peak, sold over 6,000 units a month. It clearly has been the game-changer for Renault, with support from the Pulse and the Scala.
The next big thing could be the global premium hatchback, scheduled to debut in 2016.
If Nassif’s new role does include the Asia-Pacific region, the India connect may not be completely lost. It was only recently that Duster shipments headed out from Chennai to Indonesia, indicating India’s growing role as a manufacturing powerhouse. The next phase of Renault’s Asia-Pacific strategy may well include Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan and the Philippines, though these are early days.