Well, it's not quite a Dacia Duster. But it's as close as we'll get.
Renault New Zealand has confirmed that its Duster compact SUV will be joining the local line-up, alongside the smaller Captur and the larger Nissan X-Trail cousin Koleos.
Frequent fans of former Top Gear host James May, and players of Player Unknown: Battle Grounds will be somewhat familiar with Dacia — it being a cut-price, cheap and cheerful European brand owned by Renault. No Dacia product has been available in New Zealand ... until now.
The Duster is sold across certain markets as a Dacia, but in others (like ours) as a Renault. For our market, it's set to land with a 1.6-litre petrol four-cylinder engine making 84kW of power and 156Nm of torque. Economy is claimed at 6.6L/100km, with towing capacity rated at 1400kg.
For now it appears that just one specification of Duster is coming to New Zealand (arriving later this month). When it lands, it'll be given a special launch price of $27,990 — nestling it right up next to the Kia Seltos. Other features include a 360-degree camera, blind-spot monitoring, and a 7-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
It's not just about the Duster, either. Renault New Zealand is springboarding into the second half of 2020 all bushy tailed with six new Renault dealers added to its national network.
“Our first shipment of the new Renault Duster is due to arrive this month” says Sam Waller, General Manager for Renault New Zealand. “And along with the new Duster model, we welcome six new Renault Dealers to our national network.”
“2020 will be the biggest year for Renault in its New Zealand history. Not only are we welcoming on-board new dealers, but we’ve already launched the New Automatic Trafic, and the New Master, along with off the shelf solutions like our refrigerated chiller vans," Waller added.
"Renault has some great product available and there’s more on the horizon, allowing the global brand to compete in just about every segment. That includes pure electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids. Renault will also have a product to suit every part of the light commercial vehicle market by 2022
“After many years of being something of an underdog brand in New Zealand, Renault has finally got its product, pricing and its people right. It’s nothing but good news from Renault for the remainder of 2020. Our dealers are positive; the product is exceptional, and we are ready to take our place as a competitive market player.”