Dacia and Renault celebrate 10 years of shared success

The Logan has been a big success for Dacia/Renault in many parts of the world, though not in India, where the car hasn't done well at all...

Dacia was acquired by Renault in July 1999, and there has been no looking back for the Romania-based carmaker since then. In 2003, Renault increased its stake in Dacia from 51% to 99.43% and the Logan was launched in 2004, which provided a major boost to Dacia’s global fortunes. Today, the Dacia range comprises of the Logan sedan, Logan MCV, Logan van, Logan pick-up and the Sandero hatchback, and at least one more variant is likely to be launched by the end of this year.

Dacia vehicles are currently sold in more than 50 countries worldwide (including India, where the Dacia Logan is sold as the Mahindra-Renault Logan) and almost one million Dacia vehicles have been sold all over the world since the launch of Logan in 2004. Between 1999-2004, the Renault group invested €489 million towards modernizing Dacia’s manufacturing plant in Pitesti, Romania. This involved upgrading industrial facilities, improving quality, training personnel, improving working conditions, renovating buildings, renewing IT systems and putting assembly lines in place for Renault engines and transmissions.

The continued development of an entry-level range of cars sold under the Dacia and Renault brand names is a priority for the Renault group. The Group foresees a significant market for Dacia cars (which will also continue to be sold under the Renault brand in some countries) in Europe, Asia and Africa.

Ironically, the Dacia/Mahindra-Renault Logan isn’t doing well in India, despite the fact that ours is a price- and value-sensitive market. Nobody seems to have an answer to why this is. Perhaps Mahindra-Renault has not communicated the Logan’s strengths in a manner that would be appropriate for its intended audience. Perhaps the Logan simply isn’t stylish and snazzy enough for the Indian buyer. Or maybe the reason is something completely different. Whatever it might be, however, we suppose Renault will not give up so easily on trying to push Dacia’s future products in the Indian market, so stay tuned for more on this story...