To give you a bit of context, let’s start off with a little history lesson. Lada is a Russian car manufacturer born during the Soviet era and most famous for making the Riva. Dacia, a Romanian car brand shares a similar history of making cheap and robust cars. Two car brands with fairly similar goals, what happens then when they come together?
It’s called the Bigster and actually we owe credit to Renault for this. The French brand owns both companies and has created a new alliance between the two as part of its “Renaulution” plan.
Under this new strategy, the two companies will share platforms and technology, making both of them better. The plan is for both brands to eventually sell hybrid or electric cars. You might wonder if Dacia and Lada have lost their identity in this process but no!
Dacia has forever been known as a company that gives you only how much you need. Their cars are simple and make use of slightly outdated tech to drastically reduce costs. The result is a company that has sold seven million vehicles in the last 15 years! And their identity remains unchanged with the Bigster. ‘Simplicity, honesty and authenticity’ are its values and they are very much reflected here.
The Bigster will be a simple, rugged SUV that will provide you with only the essentials. All this means is that the price allows you to afford a near 5m long large SUV for the price of something smaller. They are very clear and say there will be no chrome or shiny stuff but instead, the protective panels will be made out of recycled plastic. Brilliant!
Lada’s version of the car will be based on similar values and priced at a point that is lower than an average SUV of this size. At the moment, it will be a reborn version of the 1970s Niva!
Thanks for reading!
Words by Matthew D’souza. Images courtesy of Renault Media Worldwide.
