We were going to begin this press release by telling you how great Dacia has been doing since we launched it just two years ago, but instead we are going to hand you over to a Dacia customer to tell you instead….

Full-time actress Anne Doyle from Rathfarnham was lusting after a brand new car and after shopping around she is now the proud owner of a 141 Dacia Sandero Stepway in Fire Red.

“I have saved a fortune since purchasing my new Dacia Sandero Stepway. My annual road tax is now a quarter of what I paid on my 2005 Ford Fiesta and I save an average of €20 a week on fuel costs. I travel all over the country with my job and I can't believe how little fuel I use! I went for Dacia because of the affordability and because I genuinely liked the car. After I test drove the Sandero I was in love”.

How do you follow that…well, by adding that in just two years since launching the Dacia brand in Ireland, and after just 18 months of Dacia registrations, today there are over 3,000 Dacia Dusters, Sanderos, Sandero Stepways and Logans on Irish roads.

The brand caused a stir in the Irish motor industry when Dacia’s arrival was announced on July 15th 2012 in the midst of one of the worst recessions, some may have doubted its ability to capture Irish consumer’s attention…..

But who’s laughing now!

With its shockingly affordable, bulky yet unpretentious cars, Dacia instantly caught the attention of the recession-struck Irish motorist and even though brand knowledge was not high at this time, Dacia started to make its mark on the Irish car market with Duster arriving in January 2013.

In the 18 months that Dacia has been on Irish roads it has changed perceptions, made its own individual stamp on the market, and brought a full range of affordable cars to Ireland changing the way the Irish consumer buys a new car today. 

Dacia set out to offer an unbeatable combination of price and size versus competitors, functional cleverly designed cars, reliability with proven engine technology, robust and built to stand the test of time and a smart buy.

From the start the Duster (from just €159 a month with Dacia Finance) kicked its segment competitors into touch with its city-car pricing and attained the best-selling in its class status at the end of May, preforming ahead of well-established and more premium brands… not bad for a newbie. Over 2,000 4x2 and 4x4 Dusters are now driving on Irish roads today. 

The Duster Commercial version is also available and is locally converted with its rear seats removed and rear windows blacked out to hide cargo.  The Commercial, as with all Dacia vehicles, offers a more competitive price (from just €13, 361 ex VAT), without all the non-essential extras, as well as a bigger luggage volume in excess of 1650 litres. 

Ireland's most affordable and best value car, the Sandero (from just €99 a month with Dacia Finance) was second to arrive on our shores and offered impressive cabin space for up to five adults, and a boot capacity of 320 litres, yet came at a price tag of a segment below offering an unrivalled price/size ratio. Almost 900 Sandero drivers are driving around the country since its launch in January 2013.

The Sandero Crossover Stepway, its bulkier sibling arrived in November 2013 and has all the style of a SUV and all the practicality of a family hatchback. With a price tag from €129 per month, off-roader no longer means off-roader costs. Over 200 Sandero Stepways are on Irish roads today.

The bootylicious Logan MCV arrived in September 2013 and with its jaw-dropping price of from €119 per month, it  had taxi drivers, and families with lots of kids and dogs salivating at its 573 litre boot.Expanding to 1,518 litres with the rear seats folded down, the Logan MCV has the best in class boot capacity and ample space for five adults.

All Dacia engines are Band A or B meaning low road tax, and come with a standard three year, 100,000KM warranty, extendable to five years unlimited mileage warranty.

With 2.4% of the passenger car market, Dacia is well ahead of well-established and more premium brands, showing that Irish consumers know a smart buy when they see one.

The availability of finance for Dacia customers through its own bank, Dacia Finance, coupled with Dacia’s flexible payment plans has been a key factor in its popularity with the Irish consumer. In just 18 months Renault Finance has lent a whopping €17 million to customers for their new Dacia models.

Dacia Finance has several flexible payment plans available for potential convertors to the Dacia brand, the most popular being the PCP (personal contract plan) which 50% of customers have taken up.  Dacia customers can save up to 30% less on a monthly basis with the same finance amount over the same period with a PCP. The deposit required is low; typically 10% of the purchase price between deposit and trade-in and for those worried about selling their new Dacia in the future, Dacia customers are guaranteed a minimum future value for their Dacia in three years’ time.

The real success of the Dacia brand is down to its no-nonsense, break-the-rules attitude of eliminating the unnecessary, giving customers the ability to buy exactly what they need and nothing more. 

Others may have claimed it, but Dacia IS Ireland’s fastest growing network with 26 dedicated dealerships around the country.

Patrick Magee, Country Operations Manager, Dacia Ireland (Renault Group):“We are very proud of how successful the Dacia brand has become since launch and its arrival here 18 months ago. It does what it says on the tin, which is no nonsense motoring and gives the customer what they need, nothing more, and this is testament to the 3,000 customers we have on our roads today. It’s a great range of cars, from 4x4, to crossover, to MCV and Ireland’s most affordable car, and Dacia customers include Irish families of all sizes, taxi drivers, small business owners and city dwellers who made a clever and smart choice to buy Dacia. Our market share is on the increase and Duster passed its 1000th registration for the year to date in the first ten days of the new 142 registration period. Sandero is doing very well in its segment and overall we are happy with Dacia’s performance in just 18 months. We will keep Dacia fans up to date on any potential and existing news on the brand in the next few months”.

To finish on the 2nd Anniversary of the launch of the Dacia brand in Ireland, we’ll hand you back to Sandero Stepway driver Anne Doyle.

“I would recommend Dacia to everyone, especially young, new drivers. The quality is second to none and it's probably the most affordable brand on the market. 10/10. By the way, my Sandero Stepway made the roads of Thurles feel like driving on silk!”.

Summer 2014