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Romanian Carmaker Dacia To Make 4×4 Parts, Mulls Two New Models

Romanian carmaker Dacia, the local division of France’s Renault, will extend its product line with at least two new car models and the Romanian plant will start making four by four parts, to be used for the carmaker’s future SUV, Renault’s chief operating officer Patrick Pelata said Thursday
Romanian Carmaker Dacia To Make 4x4 Parts, Mulls Two New Models
11 sept. 2009, 10:32, English

„I have always said there will be eight or nine cars developed on the Logan platform, also called the B0 platform. We currently have six (including the sports utility vehicle Dacia plans to launch next year – e.n.), so we certainly have at least two others to launch,” Pelata told reporters, adding the two new models will target different market segments.

The French carmaker’s chief operating officer said one of the new Dacia cars will be bigger than its previous cars and explained the B0 platform was designed to take cars smaller than the Dacia Sandero, which is the Romanian carmaker’s smallest car so far, but also SUVs and Renault targets spacious models that will largely keep current engine capacities.

Pelata also said Renault doesn’t plan to introduce a platform other than the B0 for Dacia cars in the near future.

Pelata said the carmaker’s business model in Romania is successful and it will continue to invest as long as the Romanian plant stays competitive to plants in India, China and those in European countries.

„We will not invest forever. In the modern world, when things stop working, you relocate, but signals here are positive so far,” Pelata added.

He said he thinks the European auto market will continue its decline in 2010 and estimations for the Romanian auto market are uncertain.

„We think the European market will decline 10% in 2010 compared to 2009, and compared to 2007, the last year before the crisis, the decline will be of 20-25%. (…) For Romania, it’s hard to say. Normally, the market should rise next year, considering the current 50-60% decline, but we’re not wasting too much energy with predictions and we’re preparing for the worst,” Pelata said.

The vice-president of the Romanian Automotive Manufacturers and Importers Association (APIA), Brent Valmar, said Thursday new car sales in Romania might reach nearly 130,000 units this year, a level that could also be attained in 2010. New car sales last year fell 14.1%, to 270,995 units, according to APIA data.