Dacia CEO: With Bigster, we can compete in Europe’s tough compact SUV segment

Dacia’s long-awaited entrant in the compact SUV segment, the Bigster, launches this spring with new mild-hybrid drivetrains and a starting price of less than €25,000. It’s a big step for Renault Group’s “value-for-money” brand, which in the past was able to compete on price alone. But compact SUV buyers are more finicky, and Dacia is aiming to give them all the features they want without adding cost and weight, says CEO Denis Le Vot. He spoke with Automotive News Europe News Editor Peter Sigal at the media test drive for the Bigster in March in the south of France about the new car, electrification, Chinese competition and more.