Chinese worried? Incoming Dacia Bigster will put value first

Set to become its biggest and flagship SUV come 2025, Dacia’s CEO has provided first hints of the aptly named Bigster that will sit above the Duster in its model range.

What to expect

Showed as a concept at the announcement of parent company Renault’s Renaulution restructuring plan after the pandemic two years ago, the Bigster will have a reported overall length of between 4.1 to 4.6 metres, provide seating for five and have the option of either front-wheel-drive or four-wheel-drive.

The styling inspiration of the all-new Duster that debuted this week, effectively providing a preview of what to expect, the Bigster will use the CMF-B platform that underpins every Dacia model, as well as the Renault Captur and Clio, but with expected unspecified alterations inside and out as a means of separating it from the Duster.

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“Two years after the presentation of the ‘Renaulution’ strategic plan, Dacia has successfully completed its phase of radical transformation by renewing its entire range, rolling out a new brand identity and reinforcing its electrified models,” company CEO, Denis Le Vot, said in a statement in March, officially confirming the Bigster’s year of reveal.

“We are now focusing on going on the offensive in the C-segment and are therefore developing our business plan while remaining true to our values: providing the essentials to our customers and offering the very best value for money”.

Value at the core

Confirmed to be built at Dacia’s Mioveni Plant in Romania, Le Vot, in the latest remark, hinted that pricing will still be competitive in spite of the Bigster’s segment placing, as it will be less than €40 000 (R824 007).

“Less than 10 years ago, you bought something for €33 000 (R679 805), and then you go to the same dealership [for your new car], and they say the new car is €40-something thousand. Then lots of people will say: ‘Oh, no, I’m not doing that. It’s too expensive,” Le Vot told Britain’s Autocar on the sidelines of the Duster’s reveal.

“This is where Dacia makes sense, because we’re coming with, in the case of a C-crossover, the Bigster, and it’s not going to start with a four”,

He further added, “Our recipe is super-clear. We’re making the essential car. We design cars with zero superfluous content: no screen when we can put no screen, no electronics when we can put no electronics, no ADAS [Advanced Driver Assistance Systems] when we can put no ADAS”.

Largely still otherwise under wraps, speculation has already started that the Bigster will have the same engine options as the Duster, as well as a plug-in hybrid and possibly, albeit at a much later stage, a full electric variant.

Renault and Dacia?

While a certainty for Europe under the Dacia name, it remains unknown as to whether it will spawn a Renault badged model for export markets such as South America and South Africa where the Romanian nameplate isn’t used.

For now, no further information is known, though expectations are that more will be revealed once into 2024.

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