New Delhi, Jan 7 (IANS): French automaker Renault Friday entered India's compact car segment with the launch of the Pulse priced between Rs.5.77 lakh and Rs.6.25 lakh.

The company also unveiled its crossover car Duster on the second day of the Auto Expo here.

"The Pulse is a product designed and developed by our India design studio at Mumbai, focussing on Indian customers' aspirations, tastes and preferences," Marc Nassif, managing director, Renault India said.

"We are optimistic about the performance of Renault's first mass segment product."

The car, available in two variants -- RxL and RxZ, is powered by a locally manufactured Renault K9K diesel engine, coupled with a five-speed manual transmission.

The Renualt Pulse will be available with a 1.5 dCi engine and claims to deliver 23.08 km per litre.

The crossover Duster, which combines the features of a sedan and a sport utility vehicle (SUV), will be manufactured in India and will be available in petrol and diesel variants. The company said that it would launch the vehicle in the second half of 2012.

With the launch of Duster, the company has four products across a broad spectrum to ensure that it has a wide reach and caters to a wide range of customers, including its existing product line up -- the luxury sedan Fluence and SUV Koleos.

Renault India also plans to launch a complete portfolio of five new products before the end of 2012.