We received confirmation that the Dacia Duster facelift will break cover at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month so here is a speculative rendering of the mid-life refresh created by our in-house rendering specialist Shoeb.
Now we have to admit that visual changes can be more thorough than what this rendering suggests. However we aren't able to conceive how much the lower front fascia will change as test mules sport no changes in this area. Hence we decided to hold back the current car's bumper and rework the grille and headlights.
Shoeb gave the grille revised horizontal slats and split up the headlight into different sections.
The side mirrors and the roof rails may also be revised in the production car. The rear is expected to change mildly with a chrome slat extending across the width of the tailgate (or there could be even more changes as the test mules had their rear completely camouflaged).
The seat fabric and door trims maybe revised. Certain minor design changes and feature add-ons like a new instrument binnacle, an updated stereo from the new Fluence and cruise control were being tested on a prototype last year. Will some of these items be installed on the mid-life refresh?
The lifecycle operation on the Dacia Duster is necessary to induce newness or freshness as the Duster today finds itself in the midst of a plethora of new mini SUVs striking the market in Europe, India and Brazil. The Duster is the best selling Renault model this year and naturally the French car maker may have reservations against changing the car's winning formula by differing the styling or the variant mix.
Once the Dacia Duster facelift is in place, it is only a matter of time before Renault follows with its own facelift. The Renault Duster is finding the going uneasy this year as the Ford EcoSport is habitually outselling it in Brazil and now in India. A product refresh and renewed marketing efforts would definitely help the Duster compete harder.
