Renault to launch redesigned Duster in Argentina and Brazil

Renault has overhauled its Duster crossover four-wheel drive vehicle (known as the Dacia Duster in many European markets) specifically for the Americas region and is planning to launch the new model in Argentina and Brazil later this year.

Changes to the Americas model are almost entirely aesthetic and include chrome grilles at the front and rear, dark grey wheels and a more ‘upmarket’ interior which features a new dashboard. The latest-generation four-wheel-drive system has also been adapted for the locale. The changes were coordinated by Renault Design America in Sao Paulo and adapted by Brazilian and Argentine engineering teams.   

Steve Norman, Senior Vice President of Global Marketing at Renault said of the Duster’s introduction to the Americas: “Renault Duster is really adapted to Latin American markets. It surprises with its dimensions, larger than those of the competition, and its excellent abilities. This special version, with exclusively designed interiors, new colour schemes and a new grille, will make 4x4s affordable for more and more customers in Brazil and Argentina. For Renault, in America, we can really say that there will be a before and an after Duster. The Renault brand’s journey on the American continent promises to be exciting and full of new challenges. The next challenge for Renault in Argentina will be to surpass 100,000 vehicle sales a year for the first time in its history. Something tells me that before the year is over we will have met this challenge.”

Renault, who are aiming to double vehicle sales in the Americas from 200,000 in 2009 to 400,000 in 2013, are also planning to launch redesigned version of the Sandero and Sandero Stepway in Argentina and Brazil as well.

The new Duster will be manufactured at the Curitiba plant in Brazil and launched in the last quarter of 2011 in Argentina and Brazil. It will be produced at the Medellin site in Colombia and launched in May 2012 there.