The second generation Renault Duster could be making its way to the European market as early as in 2017. The timeline comes after a European publication spoke to Laurens van den Acker, Senior Vice President, Corporate Design, Renault Group, at the recently concluded Geneva Motor Show. The Design boss conveyed that the French manufacturer plans to kick off its revolutionary range from later this year, starting with the Logan and Sandero facelift, as well as the second generation of the Duster next year.
Sold under both Renault and Dacia brands, the first generation Duster made its debut at the Geneva Motor Show in 2010 and was followed by with a facelifted version in 2013 at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Renault India introduced the compact SUV in the country back in 2012 at the Delhi Auto Expo, whereas an updated version was unveiled at the 2016 Auto Expo last month.
The Renault Duster has been a successful product for the manufacturer, both in India and overseas. The next generation version is only expected to grow from here on and will see some dramatic upgrades. For starters, the new Duster will be based on Renault-Nissan’s CMF (Common Module Family) platform, and will see a significant increase in dimensions making it a proper C-segment SUV. As a result, the compact SUV will not only get better cabin space, but will also be offered in a 7-seater version.
Talking about the aesthetics, there is no clarity yet if the design on the second generation Renault Duster will be dramatically different. However, Laurens had earlier conveyed that the design has been finalized for the compact SUV and is being currently worked upon at the Renault Design Central Europe (RDCE) in Bucharest. With the European launch expected next year, the second generation Duster will also make it to Indian shores; albeit only towards the end of the decade. While the Duster facelift with an AMT unit went on sale earlier this month, deliveries are yet to begin for the SUV.
[“source-ndtv”]
