Dacia reshuffles production planning for new Bigster SUV

The production version of the Dacia Bigster will be built in Mioveni, Romania

The Dacia Jogger will move from Romania to Morocco to free factory space for the new SUV

Dacia has announced a reshuffle of its production strategy as it gears up to launch a new C-segment SUV in 2025.

The new model, based on the 2021 Bigster concept, will be built at Dacia’s factory in Mioveni, Romania.

To free up enough capacity at the plant, the firm will move assembly of the Jogger MPV to Tangier, Morocco, from the second quarter of 2024.

Established in 2012, the Tangier facility currently houses the Dacia Sandero – Europe’s best-selling car as of January 2023 – producing zero carbon emissions and industrial wastewater.

Dacia also confirmed that the next-generation Duster crossover, due in 2024, will remain at the Mioveni facility.

CEO Denis Le Vot said: “Two years after the presentation of the Renaulution strategic plan, Dacia has successfully completed its phase of radical transformation by renewing its entire range, rolling out a new brand identity and reinforcing its electrified models.

“We are now focusing on going on the offensive in the C-segment and are therefore developing our business plan while remaining true to our values: providing the essentials to our customers and offering the very best value for money.”

Dacia’s push into the C-segment is expected to increase the brand's margins even higher. The Romanian brand already plays a starring role in the Renault Group.

Speaking to analysts in November 2022, Renault Group CEO Luca de Meo revealed that Dacia – one of the group’s “golden nuggets” – posted “double-digit” profitability. De Meo also set a target 15% margin for the brand by 2030, suggesting its current margin lies between 10-15%.

This far surpasses mass-market competitors and even rivals high-end firms such as the Audi Group (Audi, Bentley, Lamborghini and motorcycle maker Ducati), which posted a 12.2% margin in 2022.

Such success is thanks to what de Meo calls Dacia’s “magic potion”: the reuse of proven Renault Group technology and a focus on providing only what buyers actually need in a car.

That means the development of new models incurs a minimal R&D cost, hence the large margins.

The C-segment SUV will be no different, being based on the existing CMF-B platform that underpins Dacia’s current combustion cars. However, by competing in a more expensive class, it allows the brand to push pricing higher than ever – theoretically yielding substantial returns.

*Read more: No spin-off for 'golden nugget' Dacia despite star profit role*

*Read more: Dacia Bigster: prices, specs and UK release date*