The Dacia production line in Mioveni. Archive image.

Future Dacia Duster and Bigster are not yet guaranteed for Mioveni

Dacia is still building the current Duster and Bigster generations in Mioveni. The uncertainty that has appeared in public does not concern stopping them immediately or moving production now on the line, but the place where Renault Group will manufacture the next generations of the two SUVs.

Mihai Bordeanu, chief executive of Automobile Dacia and Dacia Brand director for South-East Europe, has warned that the plant in Argeș must remain competitive in order to receive future projects. He did not announce a transfer decision, nor an alternative plant for the next Duster and Bigster.

What is confirmed and what is not

Situation Status on 6 September 2026
Production of the current Duster in Mioveni Continues
Production of the current Bigster in Mioveni Continues
Allocation of the next Duster generation Not announced publicly
Allocation of the next Bigster generation Not announced publicly
Moving the two models out of Romania No announced decision

This distinction matters. In the car industry, a plant receives each model programme after an analysis that includes costs, productivity, required investment, logistics, suppliers and access to energy. The fact that Mioveni builds a model now does not automatically guarantee that it will also receive the generation that replaces it in a few years.

Mihai Bordeanu estimates a double-digit production drop in 2026

In an interview with TVR Info, Mihai Bordeanu said production at Mioveni will fall in 2026 by a double-digit percentage. The Dacia director linked the volume reduction to stagnation in traditional combustion-engine segments and to the rise of electric cars in Europe.

Bordeanu also said lower volumes will have consequences for the number of employees. The statement indicates industrial pressure on the plant, but the company did not present, in this context, a timetable and a new number of layoffs linked directly to the future Duster and Bigster generations.

Energy costs and a lack of economic and political predictability were mentioned among the problems affecting Mioveni’s competitiveness. These come on top of the change in European demand, which forces car groups to decide where they invest in platforms and electrified models.

Bigster has passed 100,000 units produced in Mioveni

The situation of future generations does not change the current industrial programme. On 26 January 2026 Dacia announced manufacture of Bigster number 100,000, one year after series production began. The company said more than 95% of the cars produced are exported.

By the end of 2025, most Bigster units had been sold in France, about 16,300, followed by Germany, with 13,700. Two-thirds of customers had chosen the Hybrid 155 powertrain, according to Dacia data.

Bigster had been officially allocated to the Romanian plant from the project phase. Dacia then also announced production of the third-generation Duster in Mioveni, starting in 2024. Those decisions concerned the models now in manufacture, not their successors.

Mioveni has already lost a new project to Turkey

The warning follows the allocation of Dacia’s new compact model, known in the press as Striker, to a plant in Turkey. Before the final decision, Bordeanu said Renault Group was analysing several production options for that car.

The Autoturisme Dacia union showed in March 2026 that the lack of a new product for Mioveni and the transfer of some projects to other countries increase pressure on jobs. At the same time, Renault officials argued that productivity and efficiency at Mioveni had remained slightly behind, but that these were not the sole reason for allocating the model in Turkey.

The precedent does not prove that the future Duster and Bigster will leave Romania. It does show that projects inside the group are contested by several plants and that the production site can change from one generation to the next.

What losing the future generations would mean

Duster and Bigster now form the core of finished-car production at Mioveni. Jogger is built in Morocco, and Spring is produced in China. If the successors of the two SUVs were no longer allocated to the Argeș plant, the factory would need other models to maintain volumes after the current cycles end.

Such a scenario would affect not only assembly, but also orders for local suppliers, component transport and services dependent on the industrial platform. For now, this is a possible consequence, not a decision communicated by Dacia or Renault Group.

For customers, the warning does not change the availability of the current Duster and Bigster, the warranty, the service network or spare parts. It is a discussion about investment and production after the current generation, not about withdrawing the models now on sale.

Frequently asked questions

Is Dacia stopping Duster and Bigster production in Mioveni?

No. The current Duster and Bigster generations continue to be produced in Mioveni. The company has not announced stopping or moving them.

Will the future generations be built in Romania?

There is not yet a public confirmation. Mihai Bordeanu has warned that the plant must remain competitive in order to receive future projects, but he has not announced where the next models will be produced.

Has a plant already been chosen in another country?

No alternative plant has been communicated for the future Duster and Bigster generations. Any claim that a move has been decided goes beyond the information confirmed so far.

Why does the competitiveness of the Mioveni plant matter?

Renault Group compares plants before allocating a new model. Production and energy costs, productivity, logistics, investment and the predictability of the economic environment can influence the decision.

Sources