Renault India is pinning its hopes on its new B-segment seven-seater Triber to notch up sales in a depressed market.

The French company expects to sell 14,000 units of the new model in this calendar year and hopes to touch 1,00,000 units overall sales by year-end. Renault India sold 86,000 units in 2018.

The company, whose sales have been hit by 17-20 per cent in the last 12 months, is adding to its rural touchpoints as it anticipates a shift in demand to semi-urban and rural areas.

Renault’s marketshare in India has slid to 2.4 per cent from 5-6 per cent, Venkatram Mamillapalle, country CEO and managing director, Renault India operations, said during the launch of the Triber in Calcutta on Thursday.

“Renault has a robust strategy to build its presence in rural markets, which offers significant growth potential. This is a new avenue that Renault is aggressively pursuing with an innovative and comprehensive strategy. In September, Renault will kick-start an activity targeting 330 rural towns across 18 states. Further, Renault’s dealership teams have recruited specialised sales consultants to reach out to unrepresented rural markets,” said Venkatram.

The company has 350 touchpoints in the country with 120 dealer partners of which 150 are in rural India. It aims to have 720 outlets by 2022.

The Triber, which is priced in the range of Rs 4,95,000 to Rs 6,49,000, will be followed by a new compact SUV codenamed HBC to be launched next year.

The company will also bring in the e-Kwid in 2022, provided the EV ecosystem is in place, said Venkatram.

“The auto market’s demands will shift to the rural areas where customers will migrate from two-wheelers to four-wheelers. Hence, the rural market is the new feature for mobility in the country,” he added.