← Continued from Page 7 of "From Dacia 1300 to Dacia Logan/Duster. The History of a Controversial Brand"Dacia 1310 was discontinued in 2004, after “serving” for 35 years and selling nearly 2 million units. The last Dacia 1310 was rolled out of the production plant on 21st of July 2004 and can be admired in the manufacturer’s museum.
Dacia’s utility vehicles were also discontinued in 2006, even though they had been improved over the years as well. And so, the Dacia chapter comes to an end, while the company was getting ready to bring for the the new models, under new leadership and carefully branded “by Renault”.
Between March 2003 and July 2005 another transition model was manufactured under the name Dacia Solenza. It was essentially a SuperNova with modern design cues, a tidier dashboard, more options and overall more likeable and ergonomic vehicle.
The absolute novelty was the airbag for the driver. It was a first for Dacia and an initial step towards a bit of respect for the brand’s owners. But don’t get it into your head that this respect was given for granted. The airbag was only available on the top of the line model! Additionally, it had electric windows, CD player and air conditioning.
Dacia Solenza had a choice of two engines: a rickety 1.4L (gasoline) and a really old and terrible 1.9L diesel. At that time, it was assumed that these engines came from Renault’s old (and rather useless) stock and were now being put to use.
The new Dacia by Renault model, called the Logan, was finally launched in 2004. It was presented in June at the Paris Auto Show, while sales started in September.
It’s very interesting how Dacia managed to maintain the same price range for over 35 years (4,800-5,50 Euro). Just as interesting as how the Romanians, the main target of the brand, had wages of about 100-200 Euro up until the year 2000, when things started to move and the national average became 300-400 Euro. It was still very low considering the new Dacia models made under Renault’s guidance will cost between 7,000 and 10,000 Euro while the all-wheel drive versions will easily reach 13-15,000 Euro.
There are still people around who long for the older Dacia models and strongly believe the Logan is just a redesigned and much too expensive 1310. Another typical complaint is about the Solenza’s short life span (which was so in order to avoid cannibalizing the sales of the newer and more expensive Logan “by Renault”).
Over the 35 years of existence of the Dacia 1300 the Mioveni plant two different production lines working at all times: a “regular” one for the local market and one for exports. Each and every Romanian was firmly convinced that a car built for export was superior to those made for the local market. Years later, many believe the same thing about the Logan.
Dacia Logan was built on the same platform as Renault’s Clio and Modus and Nissan’s Micra. The most powerful engine configuration available was 1.6L 16v 105HP. The car was designed from the start as a relatively cheap model and consequently lacked many electronics or parts related to safety and comfort, as opposed to the Renault models.
It was tested by the EuroNCAP in 2005 and received a 3 out of 5 stars rating. Furthermore, a real scandal sparked up by Germans, who found themselves flooded by cheap Dacia cars and, in retaliation, claimed the car failed the elk test and overturned when sudden turns were attempted. Independent testing proved that was untrue, but real life incidents tend to agree with to the Germans.
The Logan did not particularly impress with its options, safety or even price, as it cost way over the initially announced 5,000 Euro, but became an instant success and was exported heavily to several countries, including some with long time automotive tradition and very well developed industries. Germany, France, Italy and Spain are just a few of the usual destinations of Logan shipments.
The first diesel Logan came in 2005, while 2006 brought the first facelift of the model, in celebration of Dacia’s 40 years of existence. Also in 2006 the Logan MCV is launched. A 7-seater intended mostly for foreign markets which introduced torso airbags for the first time on a Dacia car. The price: 7-9000 Euro. It was used as the foundation for the Dacia Logan Van and Dacia Logan Pick-up.
Dacia’s utility vehicles were also discontinued in 2006, even though they had been improved over the years as well. And so, the Dacia chapter comes to an end, while the company was getting ready to bring for the the new models, under new leadership and carefully branded “by Renault”.
Between March 2003 and July 2005 another transition model was manufactured under the name Dacia Solenza. It was essentially a SuperNova with modern design cues, a tidier dashboard, more options and overall more likeable and ergonomic vehicle.
The absolute novelty was the airbag for the driver. It was a first for Dacia and an initial step towards a bit of respect for the brand’s owners. But don’t get it into your head that this respect was given for granted. The airbag was only available on the top of the line model! Additionally, it had electric windows, CD player and air conditioning.
Dacia Solenza had a choice of two engines: a rickety 1.4L (gasoline) and a really old and terrible 1.9L diesel. At that time, it was assumed that these engines came from Renault’s old (and rather useless) stock and were now being put to use.
The new Dacia by Renault model, called the Logan, was finally launched in 2004. It was presented in June at the Paris Auto Show, while sales started in September.
It’s very interesting how Dacia managed to maintain the same price range for over 35 years (4,800-5,50 Euro). Just as interesting as how the Romanians, the main target of the brand, had wages of about 100-200 Euro up until the year 2000, when things started to move and the national average became 300-400 Euro. It was still very low considering the new Dacia models made under Renault’s guidance will cost between 7,000 and 10,000 Euro while the all-wheel drive versions will easily reach 13-15,000 Euro.
There are still people around who long for the older Dacia models and strongly believe the Logan is just a redesigned and much too expensive 1310. Another typical complaint is about the Solenza’s short life span (which was so in order to avoid cannibalizing the sales of the newer and more expensive Logan “by Renault”).
Over the 35 years of existence of the Dacia 1300 the Mioveni plant two different production lines working at all times: a “regular” one for the local market and one for exports. Each and every Romanian was firmly convinced that a car built for export was superior to those made for the local market. Years later, many believe the same thing about the Logan.
Dacia Logan was built on the same platform as Renault’s Clio and Modus and Nissan’s Micra. The most powerful engine configuration available was 1.6L 16v 105HP. The car was designed from the start as a relatively cheap model and consequently lacked many electronics or parts related to safety and comfort, as opposed to the Renault models.
It was tested by the EuroNCAP in 2005 and received a 3 out of 5 stars rating. Furthermore, a real scandal sparked up by Germans, who found themselves flooded by cheap Dacia cars and, in retaliation, claimed the car failed the elk test and overturned when sudden turns were attempted. Independent testing proved that was untrue, but real life incidents tend to agree with to the Germans.
The Logan did not particularly impress with its options, safety or even price, as it cost way over the initially announced 5,000 Euro, but became an instant success and was exported heavily to several countries, including some with long time automotive tradition and very well developed industries. Germany, France, Italy and Spain are just a few of the usual destinations of Logan shipments.
The first diesel Logan came in 2005, while 2006 brought the first facelift of the model, in celebration of Dacia’s 40 years of existence. Also in 2006 the Logan MCV is launched. A 7-seater intended mostly for foreign markets which introduced torso airbags for the first time on a Dacia car. The price: 7-9000 Euro. It was used as the foundation for the Dacia Logan Van and Dacia Logan Pick-up.
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