Dacia, the Romanian automaker owned by Groupe Renault has revealed its five-year plan, which is part of the Renaulution strategy. Part of the plan involves Dacia and Russian brand Lada becoming a single business unit, which the company hopes will boost efficiency and competitiveness, especially as the former enters new vehicle segments.
“Dacia will stay Dacia, always offering a trustworthy, authentic, best value-for-money proposition to smart buyers,” said Dacia-Lada CEO Denis Le Vot. “With the creation of the Dacia-Lada business unit, we’ll leverage to the full the CMF-B modular platform, boost our efficiency, and further increase our products competitiveness, quality, and attractiveness. We’ll have everything we need to bring the brands to higher lands, with the Bigster Concept leading the way.”
Long known for simple, affordable, and value-laden vehicles, Dacia will leverage its strengths by spending smarter for product development. Combining Dacia and Lada is just one part of this. The other is to cut the number of vehicle platforms down to one from four. Body styles, on the other hand, will shrink to 10 from 18. The Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance’s CMF-B platform, which can accommodate conventional internal combustion only and electrified vehicles, will be underpinning Dacia’s future lineup. Three new models will join the Dacia range by 2025. Currently, Dacia sells the Sandero, Logan, and Spring EV.
A new compact crossover, which is previewed by the Bigster Concept will mark Dacia’s first entry in that segment. Expect that vehicle to use hybrid and all-electric powertrains as the automaker works to comply with constantly changing emissions regulations. The Dacia Bigster Concept is rugged and off-road-oriented, meaning when the production version arrives, it’ll likely be more capable when the pavement ends. Don’t expect many bells and whistles, though. You’ll find raw recycled plastics on exterior panels instead as a nod to sustainability and to keep things affordable.
