The Father Of Kwid, Logan And Duster Is No More

Gerard Detourbet was Renault’s go-to man for emerging markets

- MURALI GOPALAN

Two products from Renault changed the way people perceived it in India. The first was the Duster compact SUV and then the Kwid.

The person who created both was Gerard Detourbet who died in France on Friday. He was 73. Detourbet was also the father of the Logan entry-level sedan, which was part of the then Mahindra-Renault joint venture. It did not do too well in this part of the world even while it notched up big numbers elsewhere.

Close to his heart

Come to think of it, Detourbet was the epicentre of his company’s low-cost car projects which were the need of the hour for emerging markets like India. Yet, if there was one initiative close to his heart, it was doubtless the Kwid.

This was a triumph of frugal engineering which hit the bull’s-eye in an intensely price-sensitive market such as India. When it was first unveiled in Chennai four years ago, Carlos Ghosn who was then the CEO of Renault-Nissan spoke of Detourbet’s role in the project.