We reported earlier that Renault is working on a sub-Duster mini SUV, which has already been spotted several times during its test rounds in Europe. The vehicle is likely to be sold under Dacia brand and will be positioned against the hot selling Ford EcoSport. Auto Bild has released a render image of the mini SUV, revealing few details.
The exterior of the mini SUV looks appealing. The simple looking front fascia features black cladding on the bumpers, wide air dam, nice looking grille and small headlamps. Also visible is the dual-tone scheme for the body, which flows through the grille to merge the headlamps. This car looks compact in size, and the same would be offered on the production version also.
If media reports are to be believed, the compact SUV dimensions will be similar to the Renault Captur. However, the premium styling and high end features would be removed to keep its cost down. It is likely to share most of its styling bits with other Dacia lineup including Duster. Features like headlamps and tail lamps are expected to be sourced from Dacia Sandero.
It is quite early to comment whether the sub-Duster mini SUV will be introduced in our market or not. But, we believe that the increasing demand for sub-4 metre SUVs and new entrants to this segment would lead the company to bring this crossover in India. If it comes to India, the SUV will rival against the likes of Ford EcoSport and upcoming compact SUVs from Mahindra, Tata, Honda, Hyundai and others.
The sub-4 metre SUV is expected to be manufactured at the company’s Morocco production unit in Algeria. If the company plans to launch this vehicle in South Asian markets including India, the vehicle would be produced at Renault-Nissan Alliance facility in Oragadam, Chennai.
