New Dacia Bigster SUV to major on value for money

The Dacia Bigster is 1 of a trio of caller cars coming from Dacia that volition kick-start an ambitious propulsion to grow its footprint successful the important C-segment portion reaffirming its committedness to accessibility. 

Expanding successful this marketplace (in which it presently sells lone the Duster SUV) volition assistance the Romanian worth marque to physique connected its accelerated maturation successful Europe. This volition let Dacia to amended vie with likewise positioned rivals (such arsenic Skoda and Suzuki) that cater to wider people markets with much expansive exemplary ranges. 

Devised arsenic a rugged but road-focused rival to the likes of the Peugeot 5008 and Skoda Kodiaq, the Bigster volition beryllium the largest and astir costly exemplary successful the Dacia portfolio erstwhile it is launched successful aboriginal 2025. But it volition inactive embody the aforesaid value-for-money ethos arsenic its Dacia Duster, Dacia Sandero hatchback and Dacia Jogger MPV siblings – a diagnostic that Dacia bosses item arsenic a cardinal tenet of the brand’s appeal. 

The Bigster volition beryllium based connected the aforesaid CMF level arsenic its similar-size Renault Group siblings, the Nissan X-Trail and Renault Austral, and is being engineered from the disconnected with an outright absorption connected affordability. 

“We cognize that pricing for customers is key, truthful pricing can’t beryllium conscionable a effect of the technological choices we make,” said the brand’s income and selling boss, Xavier Martinet. “It has to beryllium an input successful the merchandise earlier asking our merchandise readying and engineering colleagues.” 

Just arsenic the Sandero and Duster are comfortably among the astir affordable models successful their marketplace segments, truthful excessively volition the Bigster look to seizure a important marketplace stock by undercutting established rivals. 

Dacia has antecedently suggested that the Bigster volition beryllium priced much successful enactment with what consumers expect of the conception below, hinting astatine conscionable a tiny premium implicit the Duster, which volition participate its 3rd procreation adjacent year. 

When asked however this would beryllium possible, Dacia CEO Denis Le Vot said: “Our look is super-clear. We’re making the indispensable car. We plan cars with zero superfluous content: nary surface erstwhile we tin enactment nary screen, nary electronics erstwhile we tin enactment nary electronics, nary ADAS erstwhile we tin enactment nary ADAS.” 

This is simply a look that Dacia has already applied to large occurrence with its latest models. It posted a 6.8% planetary income uptick successful 2022, with 573,800 units, making it the third best-selling marque to backstage customers successful Europe. 

While stripping backmost the magnitude of kit fitted to the Bigster volition beryllium instrumental successful keeping its terms low, it is the usage of existing Renault Group hardware that truly enables Dacia to minimise its improvement costs and thereby the last price. 

In keeping with the brand’s accent connected simplicity, the Bigster volition beryllium disposable with lone a tiny enactment of trim levels, but it is expected to lucifer its Nissan and Renault relations successful offering a prime of either pure-combustion oregon electrified power. 

The second volition astir apt beryllium derived from Renault’s E-Tech full-hybrid system, arsenic utilized by the Jogger Hybrid, Dacia’s archetypal electrified car. 

Four-wheel thrust volition nary uncertainty beryllium an enactment arsenic well. “We are taking the assets from the group, and we’re fortunate that we don’t person to pre-invest, that we don’t person to beryllium a front-runner,” explained Le Vot, earlier confirming that Dacia volition “continue leveraging the plus by introducing 2 caller models conscionable aft the Bigster”. He refused to corroborate further details, though. 

A apt summation would beryllium a Sandero-based wagon to service arsenic a successor to the retired Logan MCV and arsenic a rival to the hugely fashionable Skoda Octavia Estate, portion an entry-level car successful the vein of the Nissan Juke would heighten Dacia’s sum of the highly competitory compact crossover segment.

Vans not included successful Dacia's plan

While Dacia is looking to dramatically grow the scope of its car offering, a instrumentality to the lucrative airy commercialized conveyance marketplace isn’t connected the radar of CEO Denis Le Vot, partially due to the fact that genitor institution Renault is already a large subordinate successful this sector. 

“Well, I don’t cognize however we differentiate; that’s wherefore we stopped,” helium laughed, referring to the panel-sided variant of the Dokker MPV that was taken retired of accumulation successful 2021. 

Le Vot explained the considerations that indispensable beryllium made to cater to a purchaser successful this segment: “What is simply a mid-size van? What is the multi-energy of a mid-size van that permits maine to spell to the countryside but inactive astatine the aforesaid clip participate the metropolis etc? And the enactment betwixt each these is benignant of moving. I would accidental adjacent undefined.”