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Dacia Slowly Shifts Production to Morocco

The first signs that Romanian brand Dacia, despite quality and safety issues, is slowly becoming a global brand are beginning to surface. Having hit the jackpot with almost every model released since it was taken over by Renault, the Romanian auto maker is slowly beginning to do what all other players on the market like to do: cut costs.

Currently, the bulk of the Dacia models are manufactured at the Mioveni facility in Romania, but soon that might change. The new promised land when it comes to production costs and workers wages is Tangiers, Morocco.

Romanian media reported a while back that, faced with increasing pressure in Romania and lured by the promises made by the Moroccan government, Dacia might even consider, in the long run, relocating most of the production into the African country.

The rumor was somehow confirmed by Romanian Dacia officials who said that the high expectations of the Romanian workers could no longer be met. The Moroccans, on the other hand, are cheaper to use, with the costs associated with one worker being some EUR500 lower than at Mioveni.

Another aspect that is pushing Dacia towards Africa is the fact that, for months, the production lines in Romania work at full throttle, hence making necessary the relocation of some of the production to the new site.

In Tangiers, Dacia plans to manufacture 350,000 vehicles each year, starting 2012, including two new models that will be launched that year (both are likely to be built only in Tangiers). One model will be a small family car, whose details remain unknown for now, while the second will be a commercial vehicle, comparable in size with the Renault Kangoo. Both will be made on the same Logan platform used on all the carmaker's models.
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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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