Dacia Sandero

James May likes the Dacia Sandero after he took it for a test in Romania in the first episode of the 14th series of Top Gear.

A young Slovakian designer envisioned a Dacia model for the agglomerated traffic in the big cities. It came Dacia QUT 1 Concept, city model idea more than interesting.

Even if Dacia officials have repeatedly said that they did not plan to release a low cost city car - at least in the near future, the European designers could not remain insensitive to the potential of the brand. This is the story briefly of the concept Dacia QUT 1, which was designed by the Slovak Jan Bujnak thinking at the agglomerations in the European cities.

The Dacia QUT 1 concept is included in the small class line and was designed in the Renault’s design studio in Bucharest.

“The idea behind the car is simple. I was very influenced by the city of Bucharest during the period when I stayed there. I have never seen so many cars on the street: they were parked everywhere and went chaotically through the city. I was afraid to cross the street because it was very dangerous. The cars were just like wild creatures. Under the circumstances, we decided to build a city car very friendly”said Jan. The concept name QUT 1 means the “Cute one”.

The body of the car in covered in the bottom side with a layer of soft polymer that are returning to its original state by heating when the car is scratched. “If the scratch is deep, the car owner simply replaces the material. In addition, these polymers can be customized by adding them interesting ornaments and stickers,” says Jan.

Another relevant practical solution is the space for luggage. “Usually we use only the bottom of the trunk. I decided to give up the telescope and turn the upper part of trunk in an area with shelves for storage of small objects”says Jan Bujnak.

Source: www.automarket.ro

The limited edition of Dacia Sandero Kiss FM will be launched at “Dacia Kiss FM days”  that will take place between 2-14 November. The Sandero Kiss FM will benefit from new design elements and other improvements.

In addition to the exterior design, the limited series Kiss Fm benefits from interior fittings and interior design elements made by the Renault Design team in Bucharest.

The Sandero Kiss FM is already equipped with a Sony CD that supports MP3 with USB connection. Moreover, the limited edition Kiss Fm benefits from a special fabric.

The Dacia Sandero Kiss FM version is available in three colors: Gray Platinum, Black Ivory and Red Fire. Dacia fans wish was fulfilled and the Sandero’s optical blocks have a black background, similar to that of Sandero Stepway.The new Dacia Sandero Kiss FM will be powered by the following engines: 1.4 MPI and 75 HP, 1.2 MPI and 75 HP, 1.6 MPI and 90 HP, 1.5 dCi and 70 HP, 1.5 dCi and 85 HP. 

The new Dacia Sandero Kiss FM has a starting price of 9.400 euros and has a top range price of 11.3300 euros, depending on the engine choice.

Among the range of optional equipment and accessories from the limited editions Kiss Fm are: exterior stickers, ABS, AFU, air conditioning, onboard computer, projector fog lights, driver seat adjustable height, height-adjustable steering wheel, hydraulic steering, electric windows, body color bumpers, 15 inch steel wheels, and more.

The picnic organized by the French division of Dacia Mansigne gathered no less than 4.000 people and 1.000 cars Dacia, although it was the first edition. Dacia fans came from many regions of France and were informed of this event through dedicated forums of the Romanian brand. They had the opportunity to exchange opinions about their cars and see Logan and Sandero models personalized and other Dacia models less common in Europe, all in a convivial context.
“This outing marks the success of a brand that has become a true phenomenon of society. In France are 130.000 Dacia cars, all fulfilling three major criteria: they are simple, durable and generous in terms of space offered. All customers have the same Dacia expectations from their cars: a fair price for the necessaries of mobility, “said Bruno Central, the responsible marketing Dacia in France at the event.
The Dacia picnic in France marked a unique picture of group participants to form the message “J’aime ma Dacia” (I love Dacia). Launched in 2005 in France, Dacia has reached in August this the seventh position in the top of best selling brands, with a market share of 4.4% on new vehicles.

Dacia announced that has manufactured 3.5 million cars since the beginning of the activity in the Mioveni factory in Pitesti.

The car that left the production line with the anniversary number displayed on the hood   is a Dacia Sandero Stepway, with 1.6 liters engine, designed for the German market.

In 41 years since the production in 1968 of the first car under the Dacia brand, at the Mioveni factory were assembled 7 types of Dacia models. Dacia has reached 1 million produced cars in 1985 and 2 million produced cars in 1998.

With the entry of Dacia in the Renault Group, and as a result of significant investments were made, the production capacity of Mioveni platform has continuously increased, so the 3 million produced car left the factory in October 2007.

Dacia will focus this fall on expanding operations in Africa, in the context in which in Germany and in France, the most important export markets the sales will decline.

Dacia is now selling cars in Morocco, Togo and Nigeria under its own brand and in South Africa under the Renault brand. Also in South Africa Dacia sales the Logan Pick-Up under the Nissan brand, renamed NP200. Countries with potential are Reunion, Kenya and Senegal, where Renault has offices, but has avoided until now yo sell Sandero and Logan models.

Dacia has made the first steps in the new strategy to conquer Africa. After Logan, Logan MCV, Logan Pick-Up Van and Logan, Dacia Sandero made its debut in June on the Morocco market, which already holds the second ranking position in sales, according to Renault.

“Our hopes about the African market are very high, where with intelligence and the cooperation with Renault, which is the most important player in the African auto market, we hope to get good results, ” said the vice president of Dacia, Constantin Stroe.

The Dacia Manager stated that, beyond Africa, another market with great potential is in the Persian Gulf, for which have been built already dedicated models, which include facilities such as an automatic gear box.

Dacia is exporting cars, currently in 60 countries on four continents and has wants in 2010, to reach 70 export destinations.

The Sandero family has a new member in Brazil: Sandero Vibe is a special edition of only 3700 cars and is sold under the Renault logo.

The Sandero Vibe has 15 inches alloy rims painted in silver, optical blocks with silver shade, limited edition Vibe stickers, MP3 CD-player, air conditioning,  silver painted spoilers and electric windows.  

The Sandero Vibe is based on the Expression version and will be available only in Brazil. The Sandero Vibe will be powered by an 1.6 liters engine with 95 HP. It is the second special edition of Renaul Sandero in Brazil, after the limited edition created with Nokia.

Dacia published today videos and pictures from a crash test in Mioveni factory. The car tested was an Sandero powered by an Euro 5 diesel engine. The speed of the Sandero was 65 km/h with frontal impact and an offset of 40%.

Today was launched in Romania the new model from Dacia Sandero -the crossover Stepway. The Stepway version of Sandero will be powered by engine variants: petrol, 1.6MPI and 90 HP at the price of 9200 euros, and diesel 1.5 dCi wit 75 HP at the price of 10.400 euros.

The people that will buy the new Sandero Stepway in the first month since the launch will benefit by the Clima Plus promotion (free air conditioning).

Dacia Sandero Stepway has a warranty of 3 years or 100.000 kilometers. The model is available in three metallic colors: platinum gray, gray comet, and red fire. Dacia Sandero Stepway offers five seats and a trunk with 320 liters volume.

Dacia Sandero will be produced in Morocco at the Somaca factory in Casablanca with an investment of 16 million euros. The production of the Sandero model will begin this month with machine parts sent from Romania. The Somaca factory in Morocco is producing for now the Logan and the Logan MCV models.

According to a Renault statment, Dacia Sandero will be sold in Morocco starting from June 18, with 3 years warranty or 100.000 kilometers.

The Somaca factory in Morocco is the fifth factory where Renault produces Sandero after Curitiba (Brazil), Sofasa (Colombia), Pitesti (Romania) and Rosslyn (South Africa).

On the Moroccan market, Renault sold in the last three years 48.000 cars, of which 14.500 cars in 2008. Dacia was the second mark in the Moroccan preferences with a market share of 16%.

Dacia sold over 76.500 Sandero models worldwide.