Bargain carmaker Dacia captures drivers' imagination as Britons snap up 300 a week and European sales soar 21%

Britons are snapping up more than 300 cars a week from bargain motor manufacturer Dacia, which has seen sales surge by 21.1 per cent across Europe in 2013.
The manufacturer – owned by Renault – sold 260,000 motors this year in the EU compared to 215,000 in 2012, data from the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association showed.
Of this figure, 15,099 were sold in Britain according to recent Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders data – this represents roughly six per cent of Dacia sales across Europe. Considering Dacia only launched models on these shores in January, this figure shows that British drivers have been tempted in by the lure of bargain motoring.

Racing ahead: Dacia has seen a large growth in sales across Europe - and managed to shift more than 15,000 motors in Britain after launching here this year

Impressively, last month, Dacia saw sales up 31.1 per cent compared to November 2012 indicating popularity of the bargain manufacturer continues to grow. This is a trend that shows no signs of
letting up, according to figures.
French car group Renault bought the Romanian car-maker in 1999 as its ‘budget’ brand. Renault itself saw motor sales slip by 20,000 this year with Dacia more than plugging this fall.
Dacia prices start from just £5,995 for a basic Access Sandero, while it Lauréate, its top-end Sandero costs £7,995.
In April, it launched the Logan MCV (Maximum Capacity Vehicle) which is available from £6,995. It also launched its Duster – a 4x4 with a starting price of just £8,995.
Dacia motors may be described by many as an ‘A-to-B’ car, but it appears to be appealing to motorists looking for a cheap brand new vehicle - and with frugal engines, it is also attracting those looking to slash petrol costs.

Popular bargains: The Duster, pictured, starts at £8,995 making the cheapest new 4x4 available

The 21.1 per cent European growth is well above the second-place finishers, Jaguar and Mazda, who each showed impressive 15.6 per cent increases.

Both of these manufacturers also fared well in the separate SMMT data, with growth in British sales of 16.6 and 18.1 per cent respectively.
The success of the Dacia could be down to middle market car sales stagnating. For instance, sales of Ford, Volkswagen and Fiat vehicles were down by 4.6, 5.4 and 2 per cent respectively in 2013 according to the EAMA statistics.
A growing number of motorists appear to be either upgrading to more luxurious brands like BMW, Jaguar and Mercedes – or cutting back costs by snapping up cheaper motors such as the Dacia, Seat and Skoda, all of which saw healthy growth this year.

Sales list: Taken from EAMA, it shows which manufacturers were the winners and losers when it came to sales in Europe this year

Arnaud Deboeuf, an executive at Renault, said: ‘There’s been a change in buying attitudes in Europe. People don’t want to spend so much money on a car now.’
Carlos da Silva, an analyst at IHS Automotive, said a key reason for Dacia’s success in Western Europe was that it had created a new class of customers.
He said those who would previous have ‘bought a five-year-old car, now can get a new car for the same price.’
The data from EAMA found that from January to November – the latest figures - the most significant markets shrank, leading to a 2.7 per cent decline in EU car sales.
The downturn has ranged from -4.9 per cent in Germany, -7.1 per cent in France and -7.7 per cent in Italy. Spain saw modest growth of 2.1 per cent while the UK has continued to soar ahead.
Sales were up 9.9 per cent in Britain compared to last year, with more than 2.1million new motors being sold.