Dacia launch in Australia not yet locked in

The global boss of Renault Group’s Dacia brand, Denis Le Vot, has refused to commit to launching its range of budget Romanian cars in Australia, despite local importer Ateco Group’s plans to offer them here – under Renault badges – from 2024.

At the Paris motor show this week, Le Vot said an Australian launch “may happen” but said a final decision had not been made.

He later conceded that that despite a huge rebranding campaign mounted in Europe, Dacia models could be rebadged as Renaults for markets such as Australia, where the brand has yet to gain a foothold.

This aligns with the plan set out previously by Renault Australia, which has its sights set on launching with the third-generation Dacia Duster small SUV in 2024, followed by the Bigster mid-size SUV in 2025 and the next-gen Oroch dual-cab ute by around 2026.

Also in Paris, Renault Australia managing director Glen Sealey, said: “Dacia has no plan to launch in Australia. When looking at other right-hand drive markets outside of Europe, like India and South Africa, the Dacia products are branded Renault.

“We would follow the same path.”

Sealey would not confirm the model rollout nor provide concrete launch timing, while Le Vot was careful to stress that any Dacia models offered in Australia wouldn’t simply be sold on price alone.

Le Vot: “We see a lot of people coming to us now because we are not only selling the cheapest [version] of our car, but more and more we are selling the full-equipped car and that’s because people are coming from mainstream,” he said.

The Dacia boss suggested many owners are even choosing its models over premium rivals, pointing to the fact that the vast majority of its cars are now sold in the highest model grade.

This includes 80 per cent for the Dacia Jogger people-mover, 75 per cent for the Dacia Sandero light hatch and 60 per cent for the Duster.

“We are clearly switching from a low-cost brand to a best-value-for-money brand,” said Le Vot.

Sealey said SUVs would be a high priority for the Australian market, particularly forthcoming models that will bring a higher safety specification.

Ateco originally planned to launch Dacia in Australia as early as this year, however key models such as the Duster do not meet new side-impact regulations that came into force last November.

“These new-generation products are excellent and well suited to the Australian outdoor lifestyle and therefore we have our hand up,” he said.

Join the conversation at 

our Facebook page

Or email us at 

editor@carsales.com.au