Second Dacia Community Picnic Date Announced

French manufacturer Renault announced today the date for the next community picnic for its subsidiary Dacia. The second annual picnic will therefore take place on September 19 at two French sites, namely Mousseaux-sur-Seine (west of Paris) and Cublize (west of Lyon). Last year’s picnic, on September 27, 2009, drew more than 4,000 people.

"The Dacia Community Picnic is an original event at which Dacia customers and their families meet up to enjoy special features and attractions, for young and old," a company statement reads.

All Dacia owners in France are invited to come along at a leisure centre offering free activities such as canoeing, pedal boating and bouncy games. There will be a demonstration of the Duster’s off-road capabilities on a special 4x4 track (with instructor), and other Dacias will also be on show.

“We’re looking at a new sociological movement, the Dacia Attitude, displayed by on-the-ball motorists demanding a practical vehicle at a fair price. Dacia owners are rightly proud of this,” Bernard Cambier, France Sales & Marketing Director, said in a release.

In the six years since its French debut in 2005, Dacia has become a major player on the French automotive market. At the end of August 2010, Dacia ranked fourth (behind Renault, Peugeot and Citroen) in the consumer sales charts, with 70,000 registrations, a 125% surge on the first eight months of 2009 for a market share of 8.2%.

In 2010 so far, Sandero is the biggest-selling car on the French consumer market. Additionally, the Duster, the latest in the Dacia line-up, already ranks third in the off-roader charts, after just six months on the market.