2018 Dacia Duster (Renault Duster) rendered by French media

Dacia began testing production prototypes in Europe this month.

French website L'argus, with a render, is reporting that Dacia will unveil the second generation Duster in September at IAA 2017 in Frankfurt.

The render based on the spy shots that surfaced on May shows how the design of the Renault Duster (Dacia Duster) will evolve as it moves to its second generation. It will get a Renault Lodgy Stepway like grille pattern flanked by narrower headlamps. The report says the upcoming SUV will be longer measuring around 4.4 m in length.

When it comes to features, the 2018 Dacia Duster will get an updated R-Link touchscreen AVN unit with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay support. The SUV is also expected to offer better quality interior trim along with improved ergonomics.

In India, the launch of the new generation Renault Duster or the seven-seat Renault Grand Duster will not take place before 2019 according to reports.

As the Duster is a budget SUV, Renault will base it on the current model's cost effective B0 platform and not shift to the advanced CMF architecture. Engine options could also remain the same in India - 1.5 L H4K Petrol and 1.5 L K9K Diesel. For the next-gen, the Indian subsidiary could chose more widely from the options of the European Duster which include a 5-speed manual, 6-speed manual, 6-speed Efficient Dual-Clutch Automatic and 6-speed Easy-R AMT. Select variants will get an AWD setup as well.

[Source: L'argus]