Renault is betting big on the new generation Duster which is slated to launch in India around early 2026. Test mules of the new Duster and its sevenseat sibling— called Bigster or Boreal — have been spotted on several occasions over the past year or so. As the launch nears, Renault continues to test the upcoming iteration of Duster.
The 2026 Duster has been spied testing, this time in Bengaluru. Like the previous instances, the latest test unit of the Duster caught on the camera is a fullycamouflaged prototype Earlier reports suggested that the Indiaspec Duster is expected to be slightly different from its international counterpart.
While the overall design is more or less the same, the Indiaspec Duster is likely to receive distinct visual elements. The spy images suggest verticallyoriented LED taillamps instead of the unique Vshaped units seen on the Duster on sale internationally. Another subtle difference is the notched design of the roofmounted spoiler on the Indiaspec which is slightly different from the international model.
The latest spy images don’t share a glimpse of the front end but we doubt if the Indiaspec Duster will be any different from the international model in a dramatic way. Up front, it will don the rectangular headlamp cluster with Yshaped LED daytime running lights and the “Renault” branding in bold letters on the front grille. Other notable exterior highlights will include thick wheel arch claddings, a shark fin antenna, roof rails, rear washer and wiper, and a raked windshield, all of them seen in the Duster sold overseas.
The upcoming Duster will be equipped with a host of modern features, including a 10inch floating infotainment display with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a threespoke steering wheel with integrated controls, a wireless charging pad, dualzone climate control, a panoramic sunroof, a 7inch digital instrument cluster, and a premium sixspeaker audio system.
Recently, the SUV was spotted in Kerala undergoing tests for its Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). In addition to the ADAS suite, the new Duster will offer six airbags, ABS with EBD, seatbelt reminders with pretensioners, a 360degree camera, as well as hill hold and hill descent control. Notably, earlier this year, the model secured a threestar safety rating in Euro NCAP crash tests.
The thirdgeneration Renault Duster is underpinned by the CMFB LS (Common Modular Family) platform and comes with multiple powertrain choices. For the strong hybrid variants, Renault is expected to employ a 1.6litre fourcylinder naturally aspirated petrol engine, paired with two electric motors—a 49 bhp traction motor and a highvoltage starter generator. These motors draw power from a 1.2 kWh battery, delivering a combined system output of 138 bhp.
This setup is coupled with a multimode automatic transmission and offered exclusively in a frontwheeldrive configuration. According to Renault, the new Duster hybrid can run in pure electric mode for nearly 80 percent of urban driving conditions. However, there remains some uncertainty regarding the introduction of a 4×4 drivetrain or an LPGpowered variant.
