Dacia is set to disrupt the lucrative compact SUV market with its new Bigster model, scheduled for early 2025 release. The Romanian automaker, known for its value-oriented approach, aims to challenge established players by offering a fully-featured vehicle at a starting price below EUR 25,000, significantly undercutting competitors in the segment.
Strategic Market Entry
The Bigster represents a calculated move into a more profitable market segment for Dacia, a subsidiary of Renault Group. CEO Denis Le Vot emphasised the strategic importance of the German market in developing the vehicle. “We said to ourselves, let’s make a car that fits the core of the compact SUV segment, and if we can make it here, we can make it everywhere,” Le Vot stated during the Bigster’s Berlin launch event.
Technical Specifications and Innovation
Built on Renault Group’s CMF-B platform, the Bigster shares its design DNA with the smaller Duster up to the B pillar. However, it boasts increased dimensions:
- Length: 4,570 mm (+25 mm compared to Duster)
- Height: 1,710 mm (+50 mm)
- Wheelbase: 2,700 mm (+40 mm)
These enhanced proportions translate to practical benefits, including:
- 667 litres of cargo capacity (150 litres more than the Duster)
- Increased rear passenger knee space
Powertrain Options
The Bigster introduces several new drivetrain choices:
- 155 hp full hybrid system (EUR 30,000)
- 15 hp increase over Duster hybrid
- Enlarged 1.8-liter 4-cylinder motor
- 140 hp 48-volt mild hybrid LPG system
- Standard gasoline engine (starting under EUR 25,000)
- 130 hp mild-hybrid engine for four-wheel-drive variants
Notably, the LPG system, featuring dual tanks for gasoline and natural gas, has seen growing popularity in markets like Italy, Poland, and Turkey. Dacia reports that LPG variants account for 38% of their sales, offering significant fuel cost savings with LPG averaging EUR 0.99 per litre across Europe.
Emissions Performance
The new powertrains deliver competitive emissions figures:
- Full-hybrid 155 hp: Approximately 110 g/km CO2
- 48-volt mild hybrid LPG: 115 g/km CO2
- 48-volt mild-hybrid gasoline: 129 g/km CO2
Premium Features with Cost-Effective Engineering
The Bigster introduces several firsts for Dacia, available as options:
- Power seats
- Power rear liftgate
- Two-tone paint
- Dual-zone air-conditioning
- Panoramic sunroof
True to Dacia’s value-focused philosophy, engineers found innovative ways to reduce costs while maintaining functionality. For example, the power liftgate uses a single motor instead of the conventional two, and the vehicle employs LED technology for low beams while retaining traditional filament bulbs for high beams.
Market Potential and Brand Strategy
While specific sales targets remain undisclosed, Dacia sees significant potential in the 2.8 million annual sales European compact SUV market. The segment is currently led by the Volkswagen Tiguan (118,722 sales through August) and Kia Sportage, according to Dataforce figures.
Under Le Vot and Renault Group CEO Luca de Meo, Dacia has strategically evolved its brand positioning from “low-cost” to “value for money” with an outdoor lifestyle focus. The company targets an ambitious 15% operating margin by 2030, up from the current 10%, with higher-margin SUVs and compact models playing a crucial role in achieving this goal.
Production and Availability
The Bigster will be manufactured alongside the Duster at Dacia’s Pitesti facility in Romania, while the Sandero and Jogger models continue production in Morocco. As the automotive landscape evolves, the Bigster represents Dacia’s bold step into a new market segment, challenging conventional wisdom about the relationship between price and premium features in the compact SUV category.