2022 was another excellent year for Dacia in Portugal, in line with what happened in the rest of Europe, where the Romanian manufacturer of the Renault Group also led the preferences of private customers, since the brand does not favor sales to companies, owners of fleets or rent a car. But even in absolute terms, this manufacturer present in Portugal for 14 years managed to place two models among the best-selling passenger carsbeing Sandero the 4th most wanted and Duster claiming the 9th position of the classification.
Evolving brand low cost label with correct costDacia shakes off the previous image of a cheap builder, with the aim of establishing itself as a manufacturer that offers what customers want, without unnecessary frills for the most affordable price possible. And the market reacted favorably, since Dacia sold 10,157 passenger cars, which guarantees it a share of 6.5%, a remarkable growth of 71% compared to 2021.
The Jogger will be Dacia’s first “full hybrid”
Another important fact is related to the fact that 23% of vehicles sold by Dacia originated from digital, with customers to decide to buy onlinedespite the fact that the brand assures that it intends to continue promoting relations with its commercial network, something that the vice president of the brand, Xavier Martinet, assured Observador that it is profitable and with a future, as can be seen in the following interview.
“If Dacia is satisfied, if the dealers are satisfied and if the customers are satisfied, why change?”
As for brand models, Sandero was the second best-seller in Portugal in 2022, with 5,100 units, a growth of 46% compared to 2021. The Duster is an unavoidable model in Dacia, having been the best-selling SUV in the C segment last year, for Spring to take it over . himself as the most wanted in segment A, but most importantly, the 5th best-selling electric vehicle on the market, with an increase in demand of 190% compared to the previous year. The Dacia Jogger managed to be the sales leader in the seven-seater segment C minivans.
Interestingly, Dacia customers also show great concern for the environment, associated with lower operating costs, since they prefer bi-fuel, a fuel that starts from gasoline but quickly switches to LPG, which is cheaper and less polluting. . At Sandero, 1% of customers opt for bi-fuel, a figure that rises to 45% at Duster and 80% at Jogger.
Good present and even more optimistic future
If Dacia is today the revelation manufacturer in the European market –and Portuguese, in particular–, the future promises to be even brighter, according to José Pedro Neves, general director of the brand for our country. The manager first highlights the advantages for Dacia of being separated from Renault since 2021 and having its own structure in our country. He further explained that there will be no agencies, which means that the dealers will remain, reinforcing the idea with the fact that the prices are already low and the margins are minimal, but they are still interesting for retail, given what the competition offers.
José Pedro Neves also recalls that the concession contracts are now separate from those of Renault, which means that Dacia no longer occupies a few corners at Renault stands, now with exclusive display areas, boosting sales. But more than that, Neves promised that his brand will continue to evolve, with juicy news, starting with the new brand image and new design philosophy reveals the Manifesto prototype, which will include a series of new models with more and better business arguments.
These advantages were specified by the role of Dacia’s Marketing Director, Vanda Silva, who began by stating that diesel is being renounced, with LPG occupying, for the moment, its place, in terms of reducing operating costs. The first trump card to be thrown on the board is the new Dacia Spring Extreme, a somewhat more expensive version of the brand’s electric, which by all accounts is still the cheapest battery model on the market. Even more affordable than many “old timers” on the market. The Extreme swaps out the 45-hp engine for the new 65-hp one, an advantage that, along with the new grille and the remaining aesthetic reformulation, will breathe new life into a model that is already a surprise in the battery-powered vehicle market. The Dacia Extreme is scheduled for the second quarter of 2023.
Before the Jogger will appear in HEV version, the full hybrid that the brand has already presented and that will ensure lower usage costs than diesel and even LPG, consuming only gasoline. The Jogger HEV is scheduled for March 2023. According to the marketing manager, the Duster will soon have an Extreme version based on the model we already know, so in 2024 the new Duster will arrive, which from the 4th quarter will associate the new aesthetics and stylistic language of the brand to the most popular model of the manufacturer.
Dacia’s biggest novelty, however, will be the introduction of the Bigster on the market, the manufacturer’s first model in the C segment, a larger, more spacious and more sophisticated SUV, assuming itself as the older (and bigger) brother. of the Duster. The Bigster is expected in the fourth quarter of 2024, and Dacia officials emphasize that the average age of its customers is lower than Renault’s, ensuring further growth potential.
Source: Observadora
