On 28 June last, Groupe Renault inaugurated its new head office in Romania, called “Renault Bucharest Connected”, which houses, in a single building, a new Design Centre alongside the engineering and tertiary departments. To mark the occasion, Groupe Renault unveiled a special edition of the Dacia Duster.
Initiated by the Design Centre’s Colours and Materials team, this creative operation’s aim was to promote the new Centre, to demonstrate the Duster’s full potential for personalisation and to present the vehicle in its most unbridled version.
Dacia Duster, a stylish and iconic model
The Duster has become one of the Groupe Renault’s leading models, enjoying worldwide success with sales of over 2.8 million under the brand names Renault and Dacia since the launch of the first generation in 2010. It is therefore only logical for this emblematic SUV, one of the best-selling models from the Dacia stable, to have been chosen for this project. The idea was to use the vehicle’s values of robustness and freedom to present it in a new light.
The Design teams took a standard production model to which they added a new, vibrant yellow bodywork colour, After-Sales accessories and graphics. The all-terrain look is reinforced with big, wide, deep-tread tyres. The explorer kit (side protectors for doors and wing extenders) underlines its adventurous nature. The new colour highlights the vehicle’s athletic solidity and the visual effect of the graphic is one of freshness and energy.
The sources of inspiration
At the start of the project: an entire phase of creativity was put in train by the Colours and Materials team at Groupe Renault’s new Design Centre in Romania, during which the members reflected on the best way to win the public’s hearts and minds. The creation of this Duster took 6 months, during which time the team worked on a high-impact visual effect of mud spattered across the bodywork. The stencilled Duster name imparts a strong visual effect when associated with this vibrant, modern yellow, creating a striking contrast with the colour of the body.
We aimed for the maximum effect with the fewest resources: pure Dacia. Jean-Philippe Salar, Director, Renault Design Centre Bucharest.
The vehicle remained on show at the Design Centre for a week and, after a very favourable reception, it is now being used as a promotion tool by the communication teams in Romania.
The Colours and Materials teams working in the service of design at Renault
Imagine, research and create colours and materials for the exterior and interior vehicle designs: such is the mission of the Colours and Materials team at Groupe Renault. Working in 6 Design Centres around the world (France, Romania, South Korea, Brazil, India and China), the teams’ objective is to adapt models to the expectations of customers in each market. From the creative process to the design stage, the daily work of the teams consists of meeting suppliers and visiting factories. They work closely with the engineering teams on the development of innovative design concepts, both internal (new materials, new technologies) and external (bodywork colours). They closely monitor emerging trends that affect colours and materials, such as sustainable materials, customisation or warmer metals. These teams put their passion and creativity to work in the service of design at Groupe Renault, with a single ambition: to use colours and materials to surprise, to give the brand an innovative and lively image.
