Spied - Low-cost Renault compact SUV (Ford EcoSport rival) emerges in Europe

19/11/2014 - 10:09 | ,  ,   | Aravind Jayachandran

Could spawn Dacia and Lada derivatives.

A prototype of a low-cost Renault compact crossover has been spotted testing in Europe for the first time, revealing the French automaker's plans to have another mass market SUV. The dimensions indicate that the new crossover in question is similar to the Captur in size but it appears like a budget-oriented, entry-level model.

2014 Renault Duster Facelift front
The new crossover would be positioned below the Duster (image) to primarily target emerging markets.

Unlike the upmarket design of the Renault Captur, the unnamed model would sport a minimalist design that influences most of Dacia's (Renault's low-cost brand) products. The test mule sports a grille that is similar to the Duster, headlights and taillights that look reminiscent of the ones in the Dacia Sandero and Renault Captur respectively.

Dacia is also likely to launch a rebadged version of the product which would slot below the Duster and above the Sandero Stepway. Russian manufacturer Lada could also come up with its own version of the SUV, but it is likely to first enter the Russian market as a Renault product.

Renault Captur at the 2014 Indonesia International Motor Show side
The upcoming crossover is roughly the same size as the Renault Captur but appears to be a low-cost product.

The sub-compact crossover could be manufactured either in Tangier, Morocco, or at Renault's new factory in Oran, Algeria. It's too early to say if the vehicle will make it to India but if it does, it will be built at Renault-Nissan's alliance plant in Oragadam, Chennai, and rival other sub-compact crossovers like the Ford EcoSport and the upcoming Mahindra S101.

Also read: Renault offers heavy discounts on its Indian models

You can see the spyshots of the low-cost Renault SUV here.

Reanult Captur - Image Gallery (Unrelated)

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