Contrary to a series of reports in recent years, it looks like Dacia does not plan to build a smaller model than the Sandero after all. Renault’s chief operating officer Carlos Tavares said in an interview that the Dacia brand would not join Europe’s minicar segment.
Tavares noted that the current Dacia range is large enough. "What I want to avoid is to have too many cars," the Renault COO told AutoNews Europe. "We need to be communicating the brand rather than fragmenting our marketing dollars on too many models. Dacia's brand awareness is still quite low," Tavares added.
According to the Renault group executive, an expansion of Dacia's lineup would make marketing costs too high. However, the city car segment has been growing steadily since the start of the economic crisis in Europe as customers have begun downsizing to cheaper smaller cars. In this context, Renault’s decision may seem rather curious.
The most recent report by German car magazine Auto Bild said Dacia would launch a five-door minicar in 2015 priced at approximately €5,000 ($6,450). The small Dacia would use the platform of the Renault Twingo and would have a design influenced by the Sandero hatchback. The report added that the minicar would have a longer wheelbase than the Twingo for more interior space, as well as a boot volume of 250 liters.
Dacia’s smallest and cheapest car now is the Sandero subcompact (pictured above and below), priced from €6,990 ($9,090) in Germany and Dacia’s home market of Romania. The budget car manufacturer also sells the Duster, Logan sedan and station wagon, Dokker city van and Lodgy minivan.
Dacia’s sales in Europe rose 18 percent to 90,000 units in the first four months of 2013, in an overall market that fell 7 percent.
By Dan Mihalascu
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