Dacia Lodgy launched in Geneva
The Romanian automaker Dacia has launched the all-new Lodgy MPV at this year’s edition of the Geneva Motor Show. As you would expect, this car has been designed for those families that are on a strict budget. It features a prominent grille, a rounded front fascia and a pair of distinctive headlights. We also notice the wide tailgate, plastic body cladding and the unique taillights.
Inside the cabin of the Lodgy we find metallic accents, a gloss black trim, along with an optional navigation system that comes with a 7-inch display, priced at 430 Euros. The cargo capacity of this MPV is of 7.3 cubic feet (207 liters) but if you fold down the second and third rows, you’ll get 92.4 cubic feet (2,617 liters) to carry your stuff.
Clients will be able to get the new Dacia Lodgy with one of the two gasoline engines available or one of the two diesels which will be offered. There is a 1.6-liter gasoline unit that pumps out 104 hp (77 kW); along with a 1.2-liter turbocharged gasoline engine that generates 113 hp (115 PS / 85 kW). There’s also a diesel engine available with 89 hp (90 PS / 66 kW) or 108 hp (110 PS / 81 kW).
The base price for the Dacia Lodgy is 9,900 Euros, and the car is expected to go on sale later on this year.
Source: Dacia
Post tags: Tags: Dacia, dacia lodgy, geneva-motor-show, motor shows
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The Romanian automaker Dacia has announced that the upcoming Lodgy MPV will make its official debut at the Geneva Motor Show which will be organized in March. With the introduction of this model, Renault’s Dacia budget arm will join the Logan (sedan), Sandero (hatchback) and the Duster (SUV) in the company’s lineup, thus filling the remaining gap.
The carmaker did not mention any in depth details about the car, but we do know that it will measure 4.5 meters (14.8 ft.) in length and it will be available as a 5- or a 7-seater, similar to the Renault Grand Scenic.
It will be available on the market later on this year and it will have a three-year warranty.
Source: Dacia via ProMotor.ro
Post tags: Tags: Dacia, dacia lodgy
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Hybrids and electric cars are not just fancy concepts presented at motor shows anymore and they haven’t been for a while. Automakers are trying hard to come up with new technology that can save as much fuel as possible.
The proof that this wish has spread all across the world is that Dacia, the Romanian car maker that focuses on low budgets vehicles, will build hybrid cars. The project is set to start in late 2012 or early 2013 and it will speculate the need for cheaper hybrids that is pervasive in Europe right now.
Rombat will project and create new Terra HD batteries, getting them ready until 2012-2013, ready to be assembled along with the “micro hybrid 1” vehicles. The technology will stop the car when it’s stationed at a stoplight, just like the “start&stop” technology does.
The “micro hybrid 2’ that Dacia has in mind will also have regenerative braking, but this model will be released only after the first micro hybrids are released into the market.
In order to create the proper conditions for battery development, Rombat had invested over €16 million in a new factory located in Bistrita, Romania.
Now this will be an interesting challenge for both Dacia and hybrid car producers.
Would you buy a cheap hybrid if you had the option?
Post tags: Tags: Dacia, dacia hybrid, dacia hybrid car, dacia micro hybrid
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Some of you may have heard about the Romanian car producer Dacia, especially in the past years, since Renault took it over and invested heavily in it. Over these past few years, Dacia has constantly developed better products and has evolved to higher quality standards.
Last year, Dacia unleashed the Duster, its first crossover SUV. Officially revealed on 8 December 2009, it became available in Europe from 18 March 2010 and suddenly, everyone was talking about it. Starting from around 11900 euros, the Dacia Duster is still the cheapest SUV in its category, offering great quality for such a low price.
A week ago, we took for a test drive, in order to put it to the test and see what it can do. All I can say is that we weren’t disappointed.
Exterior
At the first glance, the Duster is a robust car, with simple, but unitary design. Based on the Nissan B0 platform, the Duster measures 4.31 metres (169.7 in) in length, 1.82 metres (71.7 in) in width and has 210 mm (8.3 in) of ground clearance. This compact crossover can be all you need both in the city and out. It may not be spectacular, but it won’t make you look bad while getting in and out of it.
Interior
The interior is not at all spectacular, because Dacia has done everything they could to offer both high usability of space and a decent design. Some of the plastic may seem cheap (because it probably is) and the twists and knobs may not be chromed, but they’re in the right place and they’re easy to use.
You get a very spacious boot, with a volume of up to 475 litres (16.8 cu ft), while with the rear benchseat folded and tipped forward, its carrying ability can exceed 1,600 litres (57 cu ft). That’s a big plus if you’re going to be taking this car for a trip(which you should do).
Of course, if you chose the top version, you’ll get leather seats and aluminum wheels. It wont’ be luxurious, but you’ll feel quite comfortable.
On and off the road
What the Duster does best is attack any obstacle in its way and climb over it. You may not think, but this is an authentic 4×4! On a technical level, the Dacia Duster is offered with two-wheel or four-wheel drive. The 4×4 variants use Nissan’s all-wheel drive system, which allows the driver to choose from three different driving modes: Auto, in which the front/rear torque split is calculated automatically as a function of available grip, Lock, whereby 50 per cent of torque is consistently fed through the rear axle, and 4×2 where the transmission is locked into two-wheel drive for maximum fuel efficiency. This can assist you greatly should you need it or it can provide you a very good time behind the wheel, in an off road experience.
Its 90 hp, 105 hp or 110 hp versions may not sound powerful enough, but, used correctly, they will get you out of trouble. We’re talking about a car that does its job and it does it well.
Safety
Dacia has not spared expenses when it comes to the Duster’s security features. That’s why you’ll find the car equiped with Bosch 8.1 ABS, as well as EBD electronic brakeforce distribution and EBA emergency brake assist. The Duster also features ESC electronic stability control as an option on certain versions, as well as CSV understeer control and ASR traction control. These are meant to keep you safe on the road and also safe off road, should you decide to go for a trip in the wilderness.
How much gas does it sip? Well, a decent amount. We drove the Laureate 1.6 16V version, that puts out 105 hp, and it gobbled up, on average, 11l/100km out of town and 14l/100km in the city.
The acceleration is not exactly fast, taking you from 0 to 100km/h in 11,5 seconds, but you can rely on it during an overtaking. With a top speed of 164 km/h, it’s quite swift for a car its size. We took it only to 140 km/h, but we believe it can achieve more, given the right conditions.
The 4×4 option is very useful, especially if you’re at the seaside and you get the sudden urge to take the car for a spin on the beach, or if you have to park on a hill, inclined to 45 degrees and 1m high. You wouldn’t dare try that in a sedan, now would you? 
Overall
The Duster is a very decent car. From the design, to the spaciousness, from the pricing to the 4×4 option, we can see why it was such a big hit across Europe and beyond. It’s good, reliable car, which you can actually afford. Kudos to Dacia for building it!
Future plans
In June 2011, Renault revealed the Duster in South America at the Buenos Aires Motor Show. The Romanian car producer announced that they will make the model in Brazil and distribute it across various countries in South America. Dacia officials have also been confirmed that the Duster will be released in the UK in 2012, relaunching the Dacia brand there.
Racing
Proving its competitive spirit, a competition version of the Duster fitted with a 350 hp (261 kW) V6 engine and driven by Alain Prost participated in the 2009/2010 French ice racing championship Trophée Andros, finishing in second place.
In 2010, the Duster participated in the Rallye Aicha des Gazelles, being first in the crossover class. The two Dacia teams successfully finished the Rallye on board the Duster: Dounia and Isabelle (Team 315 – Dacia) were first in the general ranking, while Nathalie and Dorothée (Team 316 – Dacia) finished in 5th place (out of 8 teams competing in the class).
In 2011, Dacia announced that they would be racing the Duster in the “Unlimited Class” of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. The Dacia Duster ‘No Limit’ will be powered by an 850 bhp (wow!) version of the VR38DETT engine used in the Nissan GT-R mated to a six-speed sequential transmission. The car is tuned by Tork Engineering, Sodemo and Renaultsport and will be driven by three-time Trophee Andros winner Jean-Phillipe Dayraut. We’re really looking forward to that!
We liked:
- the spacious interior
- (we really really liked) the price
- how the 4×4 performs.
We didn’t like:
- the interior details
- (we didn’t especially like) the exterior design.
Next on, you can enjoy a photo gallery of the Duster.
Don’t forget to visit our Facebook page for photo galleries of the latest car models that are released daily.
Post tags: Tags: Dacia, dacia duster, dacia duster suv, dacia duster test drive
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The French automaker Renault has finally revealed the specially-prepared version of the Romanian SUV Dacia Duster which will participate in this year’s Pikes Peak Hill Climb event. As you can see, this version is totally different from the production model.
Probably the biggest change over the regular version is the V6 3.8-liter engine borrowed from the all-mighty Nissan GT-R. They’ve tuned it and it now produces a whopping 850 hp!
This powerful engine has been linked to a 6-speed Sadev sequential gearbox that was especially developed for this event. Renault says that the huge rear wing was necessary and the entire bodykit of the Duster was developed in the wind tunnel.
Source: Renault via ZerCustoms
Post tags: Tags: dacia duster, pikes peak, Renault
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The first special edition of the Dacia Duster is out. Dubbed “Ecole de Ski Francais” (ESF), which means Skiing School, Renault’s low-cost Romanian brand will offer this model only to ESF skiing instructors.
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Post tags: Tags: dacia duster, special-edition
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Dacia Duster selling cars on Facebook
Dacia Italy made a big step today and started selling cars on their Facebook page! Two special models will be sold directly on Facebook.com/DaciaItalia: the Dacia Sandero and the Dacia Stepway. These two especially designed models will be on sale soon and the public seems to be looking forward to this. You can check out the photo gallery at the end of the article.
Dacia is a brand that has created a lot of enthusiasm not only in Italy, but all over Europe. Check out this very cute flashmob that took place this month in Rome, to promote the Dacia Duster.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqL0y0FjZAg[/youtube]
Now, all is well, but would you buy a car on Facebook?
Via: Facebook.com/DaciaItalia.
Post tags: Tags: dacia facebook, dacia italy, dacia selling cars facebook
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It all started in 1966 when Dacia was founded. 45 years later, the company rolled out its 4,000,000th car at the Mioveni plant in Romania. The car that managed to achieve this important milestone was a Duster Laureate (4WD model) which had a brown finish and under the bonnet it featured a 1.5-liter diesel engine with 110 hp.
The Romanian automaker built its 1,000,000th car in 1985 and the second million in 1998. In 1999 Renault took over the factory from the Romanian state and in 2007 the third million milestone was achieved. They only needed three and a half years to make another million cars, thanks to the increasing demand, along with the $1.7 billion investment Renault made since they took over the brand.
At the moment, the low-cost Duster sport utility vehicle is the best selling model of the brand, as half of the 65 cars made every hour in the Mioveni plant is a Duster model. The car was launched last year and since then Dacia has received more than 100,000 international orders and they managed to sell 4,900 units in Romania.
For celebrating this important milestone, the Romanian automaker released a “how it’s made” video of its 4,000,000th car. Enjoy.
[youtube width="470" height="300"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUgkH7EAVx4[/youtube]
Post tags: Tags: Dacia, dacia duster, milestone
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A few years ago, the idea of buying a car on the Internet was considered at least outlandish. This year we got hold of news that PSA Peugeot Citroen will be giving the opportunity to purchase one of their vehicles online. Renault’s stepping it up too, because Dacia, the Romanian car brand, is fiddling with the idea of online sales too.
It seems that later this year they might have the platform ready to go. The car maker’s efforts will be focused on Europe, where Dacia has made quite a splash, winning more and more customers. So soon you won’t even need to go to the showroom to get a new car.
How do you feel about this? Are you comfortable with the idea of buying a car online?
Post tags: Tags: dacia online sales
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Last month we’ve mentioned that the Romanian SUV, the Dacia Duster will get the engine from a Nissan GT-R for a specially-prepared car that will participate to this year’s Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. It seems that the car will not be getting a Japanese engine as the engineers over at Renault Sport Technologies will prepare a one-off 850 hp version of the car that meets the Pikes Peak regulations.
The Dacia Duster has previous racing experience as famous F1 driver Alain Prost drove the Romanian SUV in the Andros Trophy ice-racing championship last year. This time, the Duster will be driven by Jean-Philippe Dayraut who managed to win the Andros Trophy for three times. Further details about the car will be revealed in a few weeks by the Romanian automaker.
The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb will be held on June 26 this year and it is a 12.42 mile (20 km) course that has 156 turns. Beginning at 9,390 feet (2,862 m) and ending at 14,100 feet (4,301 m), the race is quite difficult taking into consideration the fact that the rarefied air slows reflexes, saps muscle strength and at the same time lowers the power of the engine by 30% at the summit. Add to this the fact that the road surface alternates gravel with asphalt, it isn’t a race for everyone.
Source: Carscoop
Post tags: Tags: dacia duster, pikes peak
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Dacia Working On 7-Seater MPV
It seems that Renault’s low-cost brand Dacia is working on expanding its lineup by rolling out a 7-seater MPV, covering a new car segment, after launching the Duster, a very affordable SUV. According to a report from French car journal L’Automobile, the new 7-seat MPV will be launched sometime next year.
The magazine said that his new Dacia model will be named Popster and will feature a modified platform borrowed from the Logan. As far as the engines are concerned, the new MPV will be available with a 1.5 dci engine with various power outputs and probably with the already Dacia engines, the 1.2-, 1.4- and a 1.6-liter petrol units that equip the aforementioned Logan and the Duster.
The MPV will measure about 4.5 meters in length and is going to be placed between Dacia’s Logan MCV model and Renault’s Grand Scenic. Estimated price is less than 15,000 Euros.
This isn’t the only car that Dacia is going to launch in the near future as they are already working on their own version of the Kangoo, which has a Project K97 codename. The new car will come with sliding doors and a split tailgate, similar to the Logan MCV and it will have a price of around 13,000 Euros.
Source: L’Automobile via Carscoop
Post tags: Tags: dacia popster, mpv, rumors
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Dacia Duster Andros Trophy
Remember the Dacia Duster ? It is a Romanian SUV – the most affordable one money could buy actually. If you watched Top Gear, we are certain that you heard of Dacia, James’ May favorite automaker.
If you have heard about the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb you must know that in the recent years it has been dominated by Suzuki’s Nobuhiro Tajima and Rhys Millen. Ok, so what is the connection between the Duster and the Pikes Peak?
It seems that Andros Trophy, the French ice racing series will feature Alain Prost in a specially-prepared Dacia Duster. For those of you that haven’t heard about Andros Trophy, it is a French ice racing series that has a “habit” of attracting some of the biggest names in the F1 world like Prost and Villeneuve. Prost managed to win the trophy in 2007 and 2008 and Jean-Philippe Dayraut did it the next two years.
Before the Dacia Duster, Alain Prost drove a Toyota Auris, in which he managed to grab the title twice. Dayraut took a BMW 1 Series and gave his old Skoda Fabia to Villeneuve. Some say that he could be behind the wheel of the Duster at Pikes Peak. The same sources say that Dayraut’s people got in contact with Tork Engineering – the guys responsible for Prost’s Duster – to make a worthy Pike’s Peak challenger by using the power unit coming from the Nissan GT-R. Why a Nissan? Because the Romanian automaker Dacia is a member of the Renault-Nissan partnership. The car will have a curb weight of less than 2,000 lbs and the engine will output around 850 hp.
This sure sounds like a very interesting car but we’ll have to see if these rumors will become a reality.
Source: AutoBlog.com
Post tags: Tags: alain prost, dacia duster
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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjFO52cF1_0[/youtube]
The list of banned car ads just got bigger with the addition of this one for the Dacia Duster SUV, the most affordable sport utility vehicle in the world. Sources say that the ad wasn’t made by Dacia. According to a comment made on AutoBlog, the team behind this ad is the following:
Production company: Artcore
Director: Berend Boorsma
Producer: Stefany Rietkerk
Production Manager: Christine Anderton
1st AD: Roel Boorsma
D.O.P.: Philip van Volsum
1st ASS Camera: Alex Hollay
Gaffer: Erno Das
Grip: Frans Leiwakabessy
Sound Recordist: Peter Westbroek
Art Director: Nedda Nagel
Make-up: Eugenie Abrahams
Styling: Nicole de Werk
Location Management: Mike Kuijper
Script Continuity: Maaike Boorsma
VTR: Rio Kierkels
Catering: Quiscene
Edit: Vava Tungsten
Sound: Studio de Keuken
In addition, Dacia denied any link with this ad.
While some people may find it a little bit vulgar, others will definitely like it. I for one enjoyed seeing it but it is indeed a little bit too vulgar. What do you think?
Post tags: Tags: ad, Dacia, duster, suv
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The Dacia Duster low-cost crossover is set to take Europe by storm, thanks to its adequate off-road capabilities and the fact that the Dacia brand is already becoming a household name in countries like Germany or France.
But the little crossover has a far greater destiny, at least according to the Renault Nissan alliance, who owns Dacia. It seems that the model will be pushed on almost all of the markets, whether it will be badged as a Renault or as a Nissan.
According to Autocar, it seems that where the French brand is present, the Duster will be getting that logo, but in countries where Nissan is the single carmaker, the Japanese logo will be plastered onto the Duster.
As you can imagine, this might also hint to the possibility of the Romanian crossover expanding to territories such as North America, where Renault hasn’t been present for quite some time. Nothing is certain as of yet, according to the sources, so it all depends on the Duster’s success in Europe.
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Post tags: Tags: crossover, Dacia, dacia duster, Nissan, Renault, renault-nissan, usa
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The new Dacia Duster crossover promises to take Europe by storm with its low-cost nature yet resilient off-road talents. It aims to further improve the recipe that made the Logan sedan and Sandero hatchback so popular in Western Europe.
But while Renault will be keeping the Duster with its subsidiary’s badge in Europe, it will be launching the model under its own badge in South America. It seems that the Renault factory in Colombia is being heavily modified to support the manufacturing of the Duster, and will create models for all the markets in which the French company is present, including Mexico.
While this isn’t a confirmation, it seems that Renault wants the Duster to be as close as possible to the USA, so that word of mouth marketing can start. The company hasn’t even confirmed plans to re-enter the North American market, but it is bound to happen, sooner or later.
Until then, South Americans will soon be able to enjoy this low cost crossover. In case you want to see what the Dacia/Renault Duster is capable, just check out these two videos.
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Post tags: Tags: crossover, Dacia, dacia duster, Renault, renault duster, south america
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