Renault-owned Dacia is among the leading brands in Europe with many well-received and popular vehicles. Duster has to be among the most popular vehicles in Dacia’s history. The new model debuted recently with a new design language. But there seems to be a Dacia van cooking behind the scenes as suggested by a recently surfaced image.
Sure, the image is not of a real vehicle and is a scale model. It must have featured in one of the many advertorials that Dacia put out as part of its new brand identity debut. In recent times, Dacia has shed its previous identity to embrace a brand new radical design language that has worked wonders in rejuvenating brand’s image in intended markets.
The new Duster that will make it to our shores under Renault branding, is part of this new brand identity too. Looking at this scale model that Dacia and Renault are touting, one can not help but wonder if there will be a Camper version of Duster. Dacia earlier revealed a camping kit as part of official accessories for Jogger in 2023.
So, Dacia is keen on catering to adventurous lifestyle-oriented customers. A full-blown campervan is a fitting product. This genre has seen a significant rise post Covid-19 pandemic and many legacy carmakers in Europe are operating in this area too. New Renault Duster Camper has a lot of beef and presence as seen in the image from CocheSpias Facebook page.
The bonnet is short and front windshield is steeply raked to liberate as much room as possible. There is sheet metal replacing stuck glass between C and D pillars. This could be to accommodate a portable chemical toilet or a shower area. There is ample ground clearance with tough bash plates and large wheels, radiating off-road appeal.
Except for new Duster, none of the Dacia products has a presence like this. Marketing it under Duster sub-brand would be the most logical too, considering the already established popularity and off-road vibes. Dacia has sold a single-cab pickup truck version of Duster in select European markets and under Renault brand, there was Duster Oroch dual-cab pickup truck as well.
The new striking design language, large DC logo, attractive LED DRLs and large alloy wheels lend a lot of muscle and SUV-ish appeal to what is basically a minivan-like product. Thick black plastic claddings all around the vehicle also help cut down on visual bulk. The length might easily be over 5 m and 3 m+ long wheelbase.
This new Renault Duster Camper version can feature modular living accommodation on the inside with provision for sleeping and a kitchen cabinet. Powertrains could be shared with new Duster that has yet to go on sale in many markets. 4X4 equipment will be shared too, giving this Duster-based camper go-anywhere capabilities.