Dacia Quietly Launches Limited-Edition Duster Pick-Up

It’s been a little more than two years since Dacia discontinued the Logan Pick-Up and it seems the Romanian brand is back on the pickup market with a vehicle based on the Duster SUV. Dubbed Duster Pick-Up, the new utility vehicle is being built by Romturingia, a Romanian coachbuilder which has handled similar projects in the past.

Unfortunately, this little truck isn’t a series production model, but a special-edition hauler developed for one of Dacia’s key fleet customer in Romania. Only 500 of these vehicles will be built for OMV Petrom, one of the largest oil companies in South-Eastern Europe. The project apparently debuted in late 2012, with extensive testing carried out throughout the first half of 2014.

Dacia used a regular Duster for this pickup, meaning there’s no extended wheelbase and a rather short bed, measuring only 70 inches in length. As a result, the payload sits at only 450 kg (992 pounds), about half the payload capability other pickup vehicles offered in the U.K. are capable of. Granted, the Duster Pick-Up can’t compete against the likes of the Nissan Navarra, but it might prove to be a useful light hauler for remote locations.

Power is provided by the same 1.5 dCi engine available with the British-spec Duster SUV. The four-cylinder diesel generates 110 horsepower and takes about 12.5 seconds to get to 60 mph from a standing start, with top speed set at 104 mph. The truck’s underpinnings are of the usual Duster variety, with only the suspension being modified to handle the extra load the bed might carry.

Although Dacia claims the Duster Pick-Up will remain a limited production model, this truck definitely has enough potential to become a huge success in emerging markets. And why not, maybe in the United Kingdom too, where customers could not simply ignore a truck priced from as low as £10,000. Would you buy a Duster Pick-Up if Dacia would decide to sell it on British soil? Let us know in the comments.