Dacia Exported 80,000 Cars in Q1

The Romanian automobile manufacturer exported 80,000 units in the first quarter of 2010, according to Dacia General Manager Jerome Olive. He told journalists who attended a press conference on Tuesday that 33,000 of the exported cars went to France, Dacia’s largest market in the first three months of 2010.

Dacia’s other important markets in Q1 were Italy, with 10,000 units sold, and Germany, with 8,000 units sold. In Germany, the end of government scrappage program affected Dacia's sales. Last year the Romanian brand enjoyed great success in Germany, selling over 80,000 cars.

The biggest disappointment for Dacia was its home market, deeply affected by the financial crisis, where less than 3,000 cars were sold in Q1. Olive stated that any automaker must have a strong position on its home market and expressed his faith that the Romanian car market will get better. In 2009, Dacia sold 42,000 units in Romania, making it by far the country’s best sold brand.

Jerome Olive also spoke about the latest Dacia model, the Duster SUV. From the second half of this year, the Romanian plant building the car will increase production by 75 percent, to 460 units a day, up from the current 260. In order to achieve this, Dacia’s owner Renault plans to invest up to EUR73 million in 2010. Currently, the daily output of all Dacia models is 1,370 units.

Dacia’s General Manager also confirmed that the Renault Technical Center (Renault Technologie Roumanie) will open at Titu on September 15 2010, following a EUR70 million investment. The center will employ around 2,300 engineers, being the largest Renault technical center outside of France.