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Dacia will unveil the second generation Duster at this month’s Frankfurt Motor Show, ahead of the car reaching UK showrooms in 2018.
The new SUV sits on the same platform as its predecessor but some extra interior space is added by the windscreen being moved 100mm further forward and its rake angle steepened. The belt line of the shell is also raised, according to Dacia to aid the impression of strength, and aluminium roof bars are fitted.
Exterior changes are evolutionary the most notable of which are at the front with the headlamps placed at the very edge of the shell to make the car look wider. The headlamps have a new lighting signature along with LED daytime running lights, while a larger, chrome-effect skid plate is fitted under the front.
Signature styling elements from the previous Duster and designed to maintain its off-roader image are retained, notably the squared-off wheelarch surrounds.
Dacia is yet to release images of the new Duster’s interior, but states that it has been completely redesigned, with higher quality and more equipment.
Powertrain information is also yet to be detailed, though the current engine line-up of 1.6-litre 115PS and 1.5 125PS petrol units, and 1.5 110PS diesels, is expected to continue. The new model is also expected to offer both two-wheel-drive and 4WD versions like its predecessor.
Renault took over the Romanian budget brand of Dacia in 1999, and launched it into the UK in January 2013 through its dealer network.
The addition of Dacia proved a lifeline for many Renault outlets that had endured difficult times for the brand highlighted by the culling of several familiar models in 2012. That move saw vehicles responsible for around 10% of Renault’s UK volume, such as the Laguna family hatchback, dropped, while the dealer network was also cut back by around a third.
More than 100,000 Dacia vehicles have been sold in the UK since the brand launched – year-to-date in 2017 registrations are up almost 7% and rose 5.3% in July when most of the UK market slipped back.
Dacia launched a five year warranty package for cars purchased by the end of the September plate-change.
