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Dacia Duster Could Be Badged as a Nissan

The new Dacia Duster SUV could be marketed as a Nissan, according to a Renault insider quoted by Autocar.

The car is mainly sold with the Dacia logo, but on certain markets it will wear the Renault badge. A Nissan-badged Duster could also be possible, unless market conditions put multiple versions of the car against each other.

The Renault-Nissan insider told Autocar that the Romanian-built compact SUV could also be badged as a Nissan, if the conditions were right. "In a market where Nissan had a presence and Renault didn't, it would be a possibility. That's assuming we had the spare production capacity," the source was quoted as saying by Autocar.

The most important market where Nissan is present and Renault isn’t is the United States. If Renault decides in the future to sell the Duster in the U.S., the most logical badging will be Nissan’s, a brand which enjoys popularity in the SUV segment. But the Duster could also be sold as a Nissan in some regions in Africa if the local Renault importers choose not to sell it.

Available from March 2010 throughout Europe, Turkey, Algeria and Morocco, the Dacia Duster is the first crossover SUV developed the Romanian automaker. Based on the B0 platform, the Duster has both two-wheel and four-wheel drive. The 4WD system used by the Duster comes from Nissan.

From June 2010, the Duster will be available as a Renault in Ukraine, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Egypt and Lebanon and in some African countries. In 2011, the car will be sold in the Gulf states, as well as Brazil, Argentina, Mexico and Chile.
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