Even though Dacia is a budget carmaker, the company notes that approximately 70% of its customers choose more expensive trim levels. The new Duster 2024 will offer a simplified lineup consisting of four trim levels.

The entry-level Essential version includes fixed roof rails, six airbags and rear parking sensors. The Expression trim adds a digital cockpit, 17-inch alloy wheels, a rearview camera and other options.

The higher-equipped Journey variant comes with 18-inch wheels, fog lights, automatic air conditioning, wireless smartphone charger, Media Nav Line infotainment system and a 6-speaker Arkamys 3D sound system.

Finally, the flagship Extreme trim features modular roof rails, washable TEP MicroCloud upholstery, rubber floor mats, the 3-in-1 YouClip system, power mirrors, and copper brown accents.

While Dacia has historically saved money by not including driver assistance systems (ADAS) in base versions, the new Duster must now meet regulatory requirements. As a result, it offers a range of safety features including automatic emergency braking, traffic sign recognition, speed warning, reverse parking assist, emergency stop signal, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, driver attention warning, automatic headlights and emergency call.

Exact prices for trim levels will be announced later, but Dacia has promised that the Duster will have “the most affordable prices in its segment” and company CEO Denis Le Vot has confirmed that the new generation will have a starting price of under 20,000 euros.

Like its predecessor, the new SUV will be produced at the Pitesti plant in Romania. About 1,000 vehicles leave the plant every day, bringing cumulative production to 2.2 million units since the first generation debuted in 2010, according to the company.

Hyundai is working on an updated Palisade, with the brand’s vice president of product planning noting that it will be radically different from the current model.

The styling of new Hyundai models has changed dramatically in recent years, with the new approach culminating in the latest generation Santa Fe. The new SUV is completely different from its predecessors; it has received chopped shapes.

During a recent interview at the Los Angeles Auto Show, Hyundai vice president of product planning Olabisi Boyle confirmed that a radical redesign of the Palisade is also in the works and that it should look very different from the Santa Fe.

“We’re also upgrading the Palisade,” she told Car Buzz. – I think you’ll be very excited. We want to take what fans love to the next level. I’m looking forward to it happening, but for now I have to restrain myself from saying too much.”

Olabisi Boyle added that the visual changes made to the next-generation Palisade will be as dramatic as those introduced to the new Hyundai Santa Fe. Boyle didn’t specify a launch timeline for the new three-row SUV, but it’s worth noting that it’s only been 18 months since the current model received a major refresh.

Boyle expressed confidence in how customers will react to the radical new design: “I think we’re going to please current customers and win new fans. We did the research. We wanted an SUV made for America, built in America. It has a more muscular stance that tends to be a little boxier—more in line with what I think Americans expect from an SUV.”

Ford today officially unveiled the Mondeo hybrid sedan in China. It will be produced at the facilities of the Changan Ford joint venture.

The appearance of the current generation hybrid Mondeo (the sedan is sold only in China) magically coincided with the premiere of the new Camry, which relies specifically on hybrid power plants. These models are already competing for consumers’ wallets, and with the release of the hybrid Mondeo, the competition will only intensify.

Interestingly, the Mondeo hybrid has become not only the most economical in the line, but also the most powerful: the total power of the power plant elements (it consists of a 1.5-liter turbocharged gasoline engine and one electric motor) is 255 hp. Consumption – 3.81 l/100 km. It should be borne in mind that the Mondeo is a regular hybrid, not a plug-in one. That is, there will not be a moment when, when the traction battery is discharged, the consumption increases almost significantly.

In terms of dimensions (4935 x 1875 x 1500 mm, wheelbase – 2945 mm) and equipment, the hybrid is no different from the gasoline versions (they are available with 1.5 and 2.0 liter turbo engines).

The sedan is equipped with a panoramic roof, light and rain sensors, keyless entry, a telematics system, a digital instrument panel with a 12.3-inch diagonal screen and, of course, a 27-inch screen on the front panel. True, the age of this infotainment system is revealed by the old Qualcomm Snapdragon 820A SoC and the lack of a built-in 5G modem (but there is an LTE modem).

The cost of the hybrid Mondeo is 27 thousand dollars. The ST-Line version with “sporty” decor is noticeably more expensive – $31 thousand.