Dacia to Debut in the UK in 2012

Renault's Romanian brand Dacia will arrive in the United Kingdom in 2012, company officials confirmed, with the first model to be sold in the country to be new Duster currently on display at the Geneva Auto Show. There are no pricing details at this time, but taking into account a 1.1 exchange rate, the right-hand drive Duster will be sold for around 10,800 pounds in the UK (it has a price tag of 11,900 Euros in 4x2 guise in Europe).

“We’ve been watching closely Dacia’s remarkable success over the last few years, so naturally I’m thrilled that we’ll soon be able to start showing the British public what all the fuss has been about across the water. With value-for-money, downsizing, fuel economy and emissions all becoming increasingly important, we want to show that Dacia can appeal to the head, the heart and the wallet," Renault UK’s Managing Director, Roland Bouchara, said.

As for the Duster, there will be three engines available across the range for both 4x2 and 4x4 versions: one petrol engine (1.6 16V 110hp) and two diesel engines (dCi 85 and dCi 110).

If we are to trust Dacia's official figures (and we really should since most of these engines are already available on various Renault vehicles) the dCi versions emit from 135g of CO2/km for the 4x2 version (which qualifies it for the Dacia eco2 signature) and from 145g of CO2/km in the case of the 4x4 version.

Duster production has already started in Romania, with Renault planning to build the car in several other plans around the globe to support the vehicle's expansion.