Dacia is riding on the crest of a wave right now celebrating its highest ever market share of UK sales with both the Sandero and Duster models climbing up to the number one spot in their sectors.
And there was further good news with the recently-launched Jogger claiming top place for sales in the C-Estate sector too.
The French carmaker, that prides itself on developing high-quality, budget-priced models, is seeing sales figures boom and they believe they have got the mix of cars on offer just right with the Duster, Sandero, Sandero Stepway and new seven-seat Jogger.
Welcoming the sales success, Luke Broad, Dacia Brand Director for the UK, said: “We are seeing that the popularity of our brand has been skyrocketing over the past few years, driven largely by our super simple range, our very well-equipped cars and our unbeatable value for money.
“It’s great to see a record month for the Dacia brand. This is just the beginning though. With a bold new brand identity, fresh enhancements across our range and the recent introduction of the all-new Jogger, Dacia is only going to go from strength-to-strength in the UK.”
While the automotive industry has been going through a tough and challenging time due to the global pandemic, a recession and supply issues – mainly semi-conductors – Dacia has now started to see light at the end of the tunnel. And it’s very bright.
In fact, Dacia has grown its market share of the total number of cars sold to UK retail customers during July to 5.48 per cent. Both the Sandero and Duster have proved some of the most popular within the industry and the Sandero was the second best-selling retail car in the UK in July with the Duster in sixth place. The Duster recorded 1,360 sales and the Sandero 1,761 (both retail and fleet). Not bad for a brand that has often been labelled ‘bargain basement’.
And there is added choice for customers now too as the Dacia range has grown further with the launch of a Duster Commercial vehicle. It is available in two trims called Essential and Expression and they both feature the same generous levels of equipment as the standard Duster.
Conversion work from standard Duster SUV to Duster Commercial is carried out at the Dacia factory with the rear seats replaced by a wooden floor and then covered by a practical, hard-wearing surface. This results in a flat load area that can accommodate 1,623 litres of goods and a payload capacity of up to 530kg.
A sturdy mesh bulkhead is fitted to protect occupants from any goods sliding forwards and there are a number of lashing eyes to properly secure items in the back.
There is no load sill, so heavy or awkwardly-shaped goods can be loaded and unloaded with ease and the bay stretches 1,792mm in length and 1,247mm across with a floor-to-ceiling height of 917mm on 2WD models.
An opaque film has been applied to the rear doors so they are blacked out and a full-length removable load cover protects any items from prying eyes and unwanted attention. The vehicle is also alarmed for added peace of mind.
The Duster Commercial is a tough-looking vehicle, sharing the same ready-for-action design cues as the SUV. These include flared wheel arches with durable front and rear skid plates, a distinctive grille and Y-shaped LED running lights. Contrasting black roof rails add to the Duster Commercial’s practical appeal and the vehicle also boasts 210mm of ground clearance and a wading depth of up to 450mm.
The interior includes a wealth of tech and that means owners will see the likes of an eight-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone connectivity, Bluetooth, air conditioning, cruise control and much more besides.
Powering the Duster Commercial is the same line-up of punchy petrol and diesel engines with outputs from 90hp to 150hp, complete with the choice of a six-speed manual or dual-clutch EDC automatic gearboxes. And there is also the option to introduce all-wheel drive to the mix for more demanding terrain work.
The petrol line-up includes the turbocharged 1.0-litre, three-cylinder TCe 90, delivering 90hp and 160Nm of torque at 2,750rpm, with combined fuel economy of up to 45.6mpg (WLTP). It also encompasses the TCe 150, coupled exclusively with Dacia’s six-speed dual-clutch EDC transmission. Despite its 0-62mph acceleration time of 9.7 seconds, the TCe 150 still returns the same 45.6mpg efficiency.
The 1.5-litre Blue dCi diesel engine develops 115hp and 260Nm of torque at 2,000rpm, and is available with the choice of either two or four-wheel-drive. The Blue dCi 115 4x2 offers impressive fuel economy of 57.6mpg with carbon emissions of just 127g/km, while the 4x4 version emits 139g/km and achieves 53.3mpg on the combined cycle.
Prices range from £13,995 (excluding VAT) for the Duster Commercial Essential TCe 90 4x2 to £18,795 for the Expression Blue dCi 115 4x4 model.
Finally looking forward, Dacia has a new-look emblem with an interlocking ‘D’ and ‘C’ for simplicity appearing on the grille, centre of each wheel, the rear panel and steering wheel. This fresh badging has been launched on the new Duster Commercial.
