Dacia has teased us a little this week with this first sighting of both its new seven-seat MPV and the name for that very car - it's the new Dacia Jogger.
Styling cues from concept car
So far, all we have are these occluded images - which at the very least suggest that the Jogger will take on some of the styling cues of the recent 'Bigster' large SUV concept - and the fact that it will be a seven-seat MPV. Now, that makes it the first seven-seat Dacia to be announced for the Irish market, but as in so many ways, that's just because we're behind the rest of Europe. On the Continent, Dacia has been selling the Lodgy for some time, and that slightly odd hybrid of estate and MPV can be had as a seven-seater.
Hinged roof-rails
Dacia is clearly bigging up the practicality of the Jogger - as well as images of what appear to be clever hinged roof-rails, so that they can lie across the roof to support a heavier load, there's lots of the expected lifestyle-y stuff of hearty-looking types hiking up mountains etc.
According to Dacia: "The Dacia Jogger is a vehicle for families to use for both their daily adventures and their trips in the great outdoors. With its pragmatic spirit, Dacia offers a vehicle that allows its customers to enjoy the simple pleasures in life, with friends and family, in complete freedom. Jogger is a simple, modern name that anyone can pronounce and is universally understood. It represents dynamism, positive energy, and the outdoor spirit. The suffix 'er' as with Duster, Dacia's iconic SUV model, evokes the robustness and endurance of an ideal everyday companion for Dacia families."
SUV-like profile
Dacia is clearly giving the Jogger a slightly SUV-like profile to try and tempt in more buyers, but rather than being based on the current Duster chassis, we suspect that the Jogger will actually share its mechanical package with the Renault Kangoo van, which would arguably make more commercial ('scuse the pun) sense.
We will find out if that supposition is right or wrong on the 3rd of September when Dacia will show off the Jogger in full.