Renault Duster was once a popular choice in India, until it was overtaken by new rivals such as Creta, Seltos
Third-gen Renault Duster has been spotted on road tests for the first time, revealing a silhouette that seems familiar to Dacia Bigster concept unveiled in 2021. Next-gen Renault Duster is expected to debut in India in 2025. It will be offered in both 5-seat and 7-seat format.
New-gen Duster styling
In line with industry trends and consumer preferences, next-gen Duster will have a sportier profile. The equipment list will also be updated to match rivals like Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara, Skoda Kushaq, Volkswagen Taigun and Toyota Urban Cruiser HyRyder. The 7-seater version of Renault Duster will compete with Kia Carens, Hyundai Alcazar and MG Hector Plus.
While the test mule is heavily camouflaged, quite a few similarities with Dacia Bigster concept are evident. Some key features include a sleek bonnet design, Y-shaped headlamps, squarish wheel arches, pull-type front door handles, C-pillar mounted rear door handles, Y-shaped tail lamps and layered spoiler.
Outline of the tailgate, shape of the rear bumper and number plate mounting position is almost the same as Dacia Bigster concept. With so many similarities in side profile and rear section, it is likely that front fascia of next-gen Renault will also borrow heavily from Dacia Bigster concept.
The Bigster concept was seen with an interspersed full-width DRL including the illuminated Dacia logo in centre. The concept SUV had a rugged front bumper with studded design elements. It remains to be seen if the butch-looking bumper will be retained as is or toned-down a bit in the production version of next-gen Renault Duster.
Interiors are expected to offer a comprehensive range of features such as a large touchscreen infotainment system, automatic climate control, premium sound system and dedicated connectivity platform. Safety features will include 6-airbags, parking sensors and camera and tyre pressure monitoring system. ADAS could also be an option with top-spec variants of new Renault Duster.
New Duster to get ICE powertrain
New-gen Duster will be underpinned by a heavily-localised CMF-B modular platform. This has been developed as part of the joint collaboration between Renault and Nissan. As per Renault-Nissan new plan for India, the focus in the future will be on A-segment and C and higher C-segment. A total of 6 new models will be launched in India, 3 each by both brands. There will be essentially 3 new cars and 3 of their rebadged versions.
It was earlier confirmed by Ashwani Gupta, Nissan’s director and COO, that the new C-segment cars will be getting ICE powertrains. In comparison, upcoming Renault-Nissan A-segment cars will have electric powertrains. It presents the possibility that Kwid could get an electric powertrain in future. Options will be open to add e-tech (hybrid) or e-power (range extender tech) to these new cars at a later date.
