Renault subsidiary Dacia has taken the new and used car market by storm in the UK

 

By Jamie White – Head of Communications

 

Dacia is celebrating a hugely successful first 12 months in the UK, which included the role out of a range of affordable new models which have taken the used car market by storm.

 

A year ago, the Dacia Duster and Dacia Sandero burst onto the UK market with media campaigns hitting every media channel, while all main Dacia Retailers had their first Duster SUV and Sandero supermini demonstrator cars delivered.

 

Dacia, a subsidiary of Renault UK, entered the UK with one mission; to shake up the new and used UK car markets by offering ‘shockingly affordable’ vehicles with high levels of quality and unrivalled space and equipment for the money.

 

At the Goodwood Festival of Speed, surrounded by some of the finest supercars and most valuable classic cars the world has to offer, Dacia brazenly slapped “from £8,995” decals on the side of its Duster SUV. Less than hour into the event, unprecedented demand meant extra staff had to be drafted in to help on the stand and the waiting list grew longer and longer for those desperate to get behind the wheel. Dacia boasted 5,000 orders for its Duster SUV and Sandero within just eight weeks of them arriving in showrooms in January.

 

In April and May, it put the cat amongst the pigeons with two more milestones. First, it confirmed prices for its Logan MCV at just £6,995. Then in May, the chunky Sandero Stepway supermini crossover hit UK showrooms, from only £7,995.

 

Awards soon followed, with the Duster picking up the overall Scottish Car of the Year trophy, while Sandero scooped ‘Best Budget Car’ months later. What Car? named Sandero as ‘Best Supermini under £12,000’, while other noteworthy trophies throughout the year were several for Duster’s 4×4 and towing abilities, including Caravan Club and Towcar, plus a hat-trick from Carbuyer.co.uk, including Car of the Year.

 

Other notable achievements for Dacia ion 2013 included:

 

–          The fastest growing car brand in UK, overall and in retail

–          The most successful UK car brand launch in retail ever (based on initial 12 months sales)

–          17,146 sales with a market share of 0.76% – with only two models initially (Duster and Sandero).

–          96.7 per cent of Dacia sales are in the retail market where it has a share of 1.4%

 

 

Mystery Shopping and Performance Improvement company, Douglas Stafford, provides Renault UK and Dacia with a tailored and bespoke nationwide mystery shopping programme to include  Telephone Mystery Shopping, Email Mystery Shopping and Video Mystery Shopping.