THE CAR INQUISITION
More polished but not too polished – that’s the Goldilocks task facing Dacia’s design chief.
DAVID DURAND VP DESIGN, DACIA
‘I love the challenge of making cars that aren’t the same as other companies’,’ says David Durand, Dacia’s head of design, smiling on the other end of a video call.
I had met Durand in person not long before our digital meeting, as Dacia’s future product plans were laid out at a ‘Dacia Days’ media event on home turf. In Romania the brand brimmed with confidence, boasting about growing sales and entering new segments. And Durand was right at the centre of it all as he unveiled his vision for Dacia’s future.
Durand grew up in the Alps and always got a kick out of cars, watching the Monte Carlo Rally when he was young. He loved playing with Lego, and was fascinated by how cars were built, and these days he relaxes by restoring old motorcycles, but early on he realised engineering ‘was not really what I was looking for’. His architect parents had always nurtured his creative side and, after graduating from the Strate School of Design in Paris, he joined the Renault group in 1997.
He’s been there ever since, his achievements including creating the first concept version of the Koleos, and then the experimental Ellipse that explored ideas for interiors. Chris Rathbone He also made a major contribution to the group’s ‘design to cost’ project, which got engineers, suppliers and designers working together to create affordable components. It’s thinking that’s embodied in the way the most basic version of the current Sandero comes without infotainment – an unnecessary expense when every buyer already has a smartphone than can do the job.
WE HAVE TO KEEP OUR DNA, BUT WE NEED TO BE MORE CONFIDENT
Only a year or so into his new role, Durand has a lot on his plate. He’s putting the finishing touches to a new Duster that launches in 2024. That will be followed by the larger Bigster in 2025 and an electric Sandero due from 2027.
Dacia doesn’t want to be called a ‘cheap’ car brand any more, but one that focuses on ‘value’. Eliminating inessential features frees up funds that can be used to improve other aspects of the car, says Durand. ‘They’re not always easy choices to make, but the values of Dacia are quite clear – you need to be brave to decide to suppress certain things.
‘We have to keep our DNA, but our design also needs to adapt and be more confident than before. There are people coming from upper segments now into Dacias, but that means they’re used to a bit more comfort, refinement, better materials. We have to consider those newcomers, especially as we enter the C-segment [with the Bigster].
