Dacia Celebrates 10 Years in Ireland

Ten years on, a lot has changed, but Dacia remains the smart buy and best value for money brand in Ireland.

When it first arrived on Irish shores in 2012, it was quoted by the media that Dacia could not have come to Ireland at a better time, during a recession, when people were looking for smart buys and value for money Dacia brought a refreshing smart-buy concept to Ireland that would continue to be one of the most exciting motor stories of the year.

And today given the rising cost of living in Ireland Dacia continues to be the best value for money brand that constantly redefines the essentials.

January 2013 saw the first registrations for Sandero and Duster with Stepway following in March and the Logan MCV in September. In 2016 Dacia registered its 10,000th vehicle in Ireland just three years after its first.  The models progressed and the volumes went up and in 2019 20,000 Dacia vehicles had been registered here.

Today over 30,000 Dacia vehicles have been registered in Ireland.

Dacia has also won plenty of awards ….Sandero was the Irish Compact Car of the Year in 2022 and ranks third in the B segment year to date, while the iconic and bestselling model Duster ranks eighth in the competitive C-SUV segment. The Dacia range was expanded this year with the launch of all-new Jogger, the 7-seater family car and went on to be the Overall Winner of the AA Ireland Car of the Year.

New Dacia Duster

Dacia now commands 3.2% of overall market share, a great achievement for a car brand that has been on the Irish market for just ten years.

Last year the Dacia story continued with a new chapter, building on a strong and efficient new business model and it also introduced us to the New Dacia Bigster Concept which embodies the Dacia brand evolution, taking the company to new customers and segments.

In true Dacia style, the Bigster Concept is roomy, robust, and meant for open air and dusty roads while exploring new horizons. A 4.6-metre-long SUV with no more or no less than the essential, the Bigster is the Dacia way of making the C-segment accessible, delivering a larger, more capable vehicle at the cost buyers would expect from the segment below and soon to be made a reality in 2024.

This year Dacia also revealed its new brand identity which includes a new logo, rolled out simultaneously across its entire range, new dealerships, new design and new colours. All Irish Dacia dealerships will have the new brand identity in place by the first half of 2024, with over 70% completed by end of next year. Dacia stays Dacia, as affordable as ever, with an even stronger brand identity.

The Dacia Manifesto concept car was also revealed this year and while it does not prefigure a future production model, it embodies Dacia’s vision of essential, cool, robust, affordable and environmentally friendly vehicles.  It is a testing ground for the latest innovative features, some of which will end up on production models. The concept is eco-smart, using Starkle®, a unique material which is made using 20% recycled plastic with a speckled appearance. It will also make its debut on the next generation Duster.

Paddy Magee, Country Operations Director, Dacia Ireland said: “We are so proud of Dacia which has grown in the past 10 years into an established, trusted and smart buy brand in Ireland. From the first media test drives in the left-hand drive Dusters in 2012 to the award winning Sandero and All New Jogger 7-seater, best-selling Duster and amazing concepts like Bigster which will see production in 2024 and Manifesto which will be a lab for future features on our cars – the brand has really evolved.  Huge kudos to the dealerships that embraced the Dacia brand and are on their new brand identity journey and to the Irish customer for making the smart choice over the years. Having our own finance arm has made a huge difference to the volumes of Dacia vehicles on Irish roads and we believe that the brand has many more stories to tell”.

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