New Nissan Terrano is a rebadged Dacia Duster

The new Nissan Terrano (pictured) is a rebadged Dacia Duster

The Dacia Duster SUV has been taking Europe by storm for several years with its combination of cheapness, ruggedness and a surprising ability to do its job.

In tough economic times budget buys are a big seller, and with the Dacia Duster SUV costing from just £8995 (although you’ll need to pay more for a 4WD version) Dacia have been able to sell as many as they can build. That meant the UK and Ireland having to wait for the Duster to arrive until capacity could be found in India to build RHD versions, and now it seems Nissan are about to utilise its production facilities in Chennai to turn out a new Nissan Terrano that is actually a rebadged Dacia Duster.

India Autos Blog has provided the sketch (above) that Renault has released in India of the new Terrano, and as far as we can see it’s pretty much a Duster with a Nissan grill and lights on the front.

It seems the plan is to put the Terrano in to production by the end of 2013 with the same engines the Dacia uses (a 1.6 litre petrol and 1.5 litre diesel) at a slightly higher price than the Duster.

Will the new Nissan Terrano make it to the UK?

A few years ago we’d have said there was no chance, but the success of the Duster in the UK – and the fact that the Terrano is being built in RHD – must make it a distinct possibility.

By Cars UK