Dacia Duster Spirit of Sand and Striker: Two SUVs Reshaping the Range

Dacia is playing two cards at once in early 2026: the Duster Spirit of Sand, a limited edition of 500 units celebrating its Dakar victory, and the all-new Striker, a 4.62-meter family crossover officially unveiled March 10. Meanwhile, the Duster is going through a rough patch, with a 41% drop in registrations in January 2026 according to Dataforce—8,842 sales versus 14,973 a year earlier.

"The Duster Spirit of Sand can spend up to 60% of its time in electric mode in the city, with two 50-liter tanks—gasoline and LPG—covering around 930 miles between refills." — Auto Express UK

The Duster Spirit of Sand: 500 Units for the Dakar

Dacia won the 2026 Dakar Rally with its Sandrider prototype, driven by Qatari Nasser Al-Attiyah, in only its second attempt at the event. Direct result: a limited series called the Duster Spirit of Sand, announced right on the heels of that victory.

The concept is simple. Take a Duster in Extreme trim, slap on a "Sandstone" paint job, side decals evoking the Sandrider, 17-inch black "Tergan" alloy wheels, copper-brown accents, and a 6 mm skid plate under the engine. Looks-wise, it's a head-turner. Off-road prep-wise, let's be honest: it's mostly cosmetic.

What's less cosmetic is the powertrain. The Spirit of Sand gets the new Hybrid-G 150 setup—a 1.2-liter turbo with 140 hp paired with a 31 hp electric motor on the rear axle, dual-clutch gearbox, and LPG compatibility. That rear motor is clever: it has a two-speed gearbox, first gear for crawling torque, second for holding higher speeds up to 86 mph (about 138 km/h) according to Auto Express. In the city, up to 60% of your drive would be electric.

The interior keeps all the Extreme equipment, adding the Cold Pack (heated seats and steering wheel), blind-spot warning, and a multi-view camera.

The price: €28,990. And you see the problem coming. These 500 units are reserved for the Romanian market only, for now. In France, you'll have to make do with looking at the pictures.

A 41% Drop That Raises Questions

January 2026, the numbers come in, and they sting. The Duster goes from 14,973 registrations to 8,842 in one month. According to Motorsactu, citing Dataforce data, the main explanation is the wait-and-see attitude around the facelift announced for summer 2026: new design inspired by the Bigster, improved E-Tech hybrid, refreshed interior, Level 2+ assists.

You can understand. When rumors circulate, people wait. I saw the same thing with the Tiguan before its last facelift—dealership lots emptied out for six months. Add to that a calendar effect: January 2025 had benefited from a backlog of deliveries deferred from late 2024 (before the bonus adjustment), which inflated the numbers.

Competitive pressure also plays a role. The Citroën C3 Aircross in mild-hybrid offers up to 7 seats and a discount of €3,100 according to Motor.es, with an entry price in the same ballpark as the Duster. And on the Chinese threat front, the GWM Haval Jolion Pro lands in Germany at €24,990 with a panoramic roof, synthetic leather, 177 hp, and a 360° camera as standard, per Auto Bild. The competition isn't holding back.

The Striker: The Dacia We Didn't See Coming

On March 10, 2026, Dacia officially unveiled the Striker. And the surprise is that it's not quite the lifted wagon everyone expected.

According to Caradisiac, the Striker measures 4.62 meters long—an absolute record for Dacia—and boasts a more dynamic, sleeker profile than the Bigster (4.57 m). It rides on the CMF-B platform, the same as the Sandero, Jogger, Duster, and Bigster. The front end adopts a style different from other models in the range, and the first visuals give it an air of a Chinese electric SUV, still per Caradisiac.