“So starting in 2025, you’re going to have 2.5 million people every year coming to the dealership to replace their C-SUV and being offered the new 2025 version for €35,000, €36,000, €37,000… And these guys were buying it for €29,000 or €28,000 five years ago, so there’s going to be a disappointment.
“So if we take just a slice of this: bingo! And I’m very confident that there will be enough people to consider the Bigster.”
To make room for the Bigster to start running down the line at Dacia’s plant in Mioveni, Romania, Dacia has moved production of the Sandero hatchback and Jogger MPV to a Renault facility in Morocco and opened up some capacity to build some Dusters in Turkey.
Despite the Bigster being 227mm longer than the closely related Duster, it doesn’t gain the option of seven seats, unlike the Kodiaq and Peugeot 5008.
Le Vot said adding a third row would mean “you have to lose knee radius” in the second row, plus it would necessitate a reinforced rear axle and incur a hefty weight penalty, “and if you add more kilograms, you would have to add a more electrified engine and it would cost more.”
He said that around 20-25% of C-segment SUVs in Europe are seven-seaters but going after this market would mean “having a less good five-seater” and so there are no plans for a seven-seat Bigster.
Dacia Bigster: engines, design and interior
The Bigster sits on the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance’s CMF-B platform, which is shared with the Duster, Sandero, Jogger and Clio. As a result, it is being launched with a mix of electrified powertrains.
The flagship Hybrid 155 pairs a 107bhp four-cylinder petrol engine with two electric motors (a 50bhp motor and a high-voltage starter-generator) and a 1.4kWh battery. The Bigster is the first Renault Group car to be fitted with this set-up.
