Dacia, a member of the Renault Group and overarching Alliance, is that South-East European car manufacturer that has been around since 1966 but almost no one knew about it until 1999 when it joined the ranks of its current French parent.
Since then, the brand has made a big name for itself based on no-frills models like the Logan and – above all – Sandero/Stepway subcompacts and the Duster SUV, which are some of the best-selling models in their respective categories. Also, it has been a target of banter due to James May’s affection, of course.
But what if the carmaker also reached the bucket list among extreme off-road enthusiasts? After all, it has already conquered the hearts and minds of casual AWD adventurers with the sturdy, affordable, and reliable Duster SUV. Hey, it might even grow out of the James May phase and level up to get a wink of approval or an angry name call (depending on their opinions about using their play upon the Velociraptor dinosaur species) from Hennessey Performance.
This is all because the automotive artist & designer better known as pistonzero across social media has decided to head down to South-Eastern Europe for a CGI swing at the Romanian SUV. Dubbed ‘Velociduster,’ this is an extreme 2WD Pre-Runner-type of vehicle, and it is quite the change compared to the usual looks of “one of the most popular budget family SUVs in Europe.” Plus, it’s also morphed into a veritable pickup truck.
Naturally, all the off-road usual suspects are present and accounted for. Although the pixel master forgot about Dacia’s recent change of corporate image, the ‘Velociduster’ looks fully aggressive from the front, sides, and rear, where the big lift setup, the widebody treatment, and the off-road modifications are easily visible. And there is also a cool side exhaust treatment, plus a neat camouflage-style green wrap/paintjob.
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
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