Dacia has unveiled its largest SUV yet, aptly named the Bigster. VP of Design, David Durand, talks through the design for the new model.
Dacia has unveiled its largest SUV yet, aptly named the Bigster. This is the first of three new models from the brand as it expands its offering across different segments. I spoke with David Durand, VP of Design for the Dacia brand, to understand the design development for the new Bigster model.
Trinity Francis: What was the original brief for Bigster?
David Durand: The brief was interesting, because we had two cars – Duster and Bigster – to make at the same time. Dealing with two different sized cars, we didn’t want to take Duster and stretch it to make the Bigster. From the start we knew Bigster would be a much longer car, so we moved the front windscreen back to compensate for a long rear overhang and to keep a dynamic silhouette. We also increased the height of the Bigster’s cabin by 35mm. We thought this was very important if we wanted to really respond to C-segment needs, the car needed to be affordable but also offer a bit more volume and roominess than competitors. This was a strong point to work from to decide the proportions of the Bigster.
Proportion, for me, is perhaps 60 to 70% of the job, because if you manage to get the right proportion from the start, you immediately feel it. When you have good proportions you don’t need makeup. You don’t have to hide something, you don’t have to include any additional or decorative parts. If you can save those parts, you can lower the price of the vehicle or put this money somewhere else where it’s more useful, like a bigger screen for example.
Francis: How did Dacia approach developing a vehicle for this larger segment?
Durand: The C segment is a new segment for us.
