Renault desperate to lock in Dacia Duster and Bigster SUVs, and Oroch ute as part of new Adventure range

Renault Australia knows that the world is moving towards electrification, but that doesn’t mean that everyone wants an electric car or SUV.

The French brand’s local general manager, Glen Sealey, admits that there is a strong push to add EV models to the line-up in Australia, but says the brand will essentially offer two different streams of models here moving forward - models it gets from Renault, which will be EV-focused, and models it gets from Dacia, which won’t.

Mr Sealey splits the two lines into the “core range” and the “adventure range”, the latter of which being the Dacia vehicles that will retain petrol powertrains, have four-wheel drive underpinnings, and “tough design”.

Mr Sealey said, however, that the plan is just that. A plan. Nothing is confirmed, but the company is aiming to push through with the notion of affordable Dacia-derived models, but wearing Renault badges.

The primary focus for the brand is the new-generation Duster, which in Europe straddles the line between a small and mid-size SUV, and does so with a no frills, go anywhere bent. That model isn’t available to Australia in its current-generation guise, but the next one isn’t far away.

“As with any plan in the current environment, it’s a plan. There are no guarantees in the current environment,” he said. “But certainly, from our perspective, we see something like Duster would work really well in Australia.

“I’ve been over, I’ve looked at the new-generation Duster, we’ve got input on the vehicle at the moment, so we’re very keen to get it.

“For us Duster sits within the Renault fold, like it does in other right-hand-drive markets today, such as South Africa where Duster is a Renault, if you go to India is there too. So, we would prefer to keep Duster as a Renault,” said Mr Sealey.

“It also means our existing range moves forward, or up, so to speak. We get electrification and high-end development for what I call the ‘core range’, and it makes room for what I’d call an ‘adventure range’ as well.

“That adventure range would be characterised by tough design, internal combustion engine, and a 4x4 drivetrain, which you’re not going to see in Renault [models] moving forward,” he said.

Mr Sealey said the Duster would likely also be joined by a bigger model dubbed ‘Bigster’, which was previewed at the brand’s ‘Renaulution’ event in 2021.

Another important addition could be a new-generation version of the Oroch ute, a compact pick-up truck based on the Duster SUV. That could well give the brand a unique offering in the market, unless the Hyundai Santa Cruz or Ford Maverick magically appear here before 2025/26.

“Oroch is something we would always have our hand up for here. Whether it be Duster, whether it be Bigster, or Oroch in the long term - but for Australia, we can’t take any of the existing product, we have to wait for the new generation models,” Mr Sealey said.

No doubt Renault will be keeping a close eye (or already has been) on the success Suzuki has seen with the Jimny small 4x4. That model is on track to sell 5000 units in 2022, before more potential derivatives - including a five-door version, and maybe even a pick-up truck spin-off - also arrive here in the coming years.