MIOVENI, ROMANIA - The Dacia Duster, which wears a Renault badge in South Africa and some other markets, has already carved a niche for itself as a simple and robust compact SUV that costs less than similarly-sized rivals.
But now Dacia has bigger aims, as the appropriately named ‘Bigster’ concept illustrates. Measuring around 4600mm in length (versus the Duster’s 4340mm), the Bigster is similar in size to the Toyota Rav4 and slightly shorter than Nissan’s X-Trail. But that doesn’t mean Dacia is pushing upmarket to compete with these more premium SUVs, instead insisting that the Bigster is its way of making the C-segment SUV accessible, delivering “a larger, more capable vehicle at the cost buyers would expect from the segment below”.
Dacia says the concept previews a forthcoming production model, but did not say when it would be launched or whether it would reach some markets badged as a Renault. But the Dacia spirit seems to be well and truly alive in this one.
“No bells and whistles, no chrome trim or imitation-aluminium, the Bigster Concept is a genuine vehicle made with genuine principles, shown in the use of raw recycled plastics for all protective exterior panels,” Dacia said.
The vehicle also ushers in a new design language which will not only strongly influence the production model, but perhaps the next-generation Duster too.
Dacia design boss Alejandro Mesonero-Romanos says the Bigster epitomises the evolution of the brand, describing it as “essential, with a touch of cool and an outdoor spirit”.
The Bigster Concept was revealed in tandem with the announcement of Dacia’s five-year plan, in which it aims to boost its efficiency and competitiveness through shared engineering and production with Russia’s Lada brand. Through the use of the Alliance’s flexible new CMF-B platform, the two brands will move from four platforms to one and from 18 body styles to 11.