Romanian Carmaker Dacia Announces Local Market Prices Of New Duster Model

The 4x2 Duster model costs EUR10,500, while the 4x4 may be purchased for EUR12,300.

The Ambiance 4x2 version is priced at EUR11,000, while prices on Ambiance 4x4 models start at EUR12,800.

The Laureate 4x2 costs EUR11,900, while the price of the 4x4 version starts at EUR13,700.

Prices on two-wheel drive Dusters with diesel engines vary between EUR12,150 and EUR13,800; four-wheel drive diesels can cost between EUR14,700 and EUR15,600.

Dacia spent EUR290 million on developing the Duster model, investing EUR70 million in its plant in Mioveni, Romania. According to the carmaker, the investment was optimized by borrowing around 50% of the new model's parts, such as the engine and gearbox, from other Dacia and Renault models.

The Mioveni plant can build up to 25 Duster cars per hour. In due time, the new model could account for more than a third of the plant's production.

The new SUV will be available as of this spring on the markets in Europe, Turkey, the Maghreb (Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Egypt, Libya and Mauritania), and as of June will be marketed under the Renault brand in Ukraine, the Middle East (Jordan, Syria, Lebanon) and certain countries in Africa.

The Mioveni factory will produce vehicles destined for all these markets, under both the Dacia and Renault brands.

In 2011, Duster will also be built by the plant in Curitiba, Brazil, which already produces the Logan, Sandero and Sandero Stepway models under the Renault name. Vehicles built here will be sold on markets in Brazil, Argentina, Mexico and Chile.

The Duster will also be produced at the Avtoframos plant in Moscow, Russia.

The new model will be available on markets in the Persian Gulf as of 2011 as Renault Duster. Cars destined for this region will also be built at Mioveni.

Automobile Dacia, a member of the Renault group, sold 311,282 cars last year, up by 20.5% compared to 2008, but sales in Romania slumped by more than 50%, to 41,862 units, although the company managed to slightly increase its share of the local market.

Apart from the Duster, Dacia makes six other vehicles: Logan Berlina, Logan MCV, Logan Van, Logan Pick-up, Dacia Sandero and Dacia Sandero Stepway.

If you liked this story, please follow MEDIAFAX.RO on FACEBOOK »

The content of mediafax.ro is for your information only. Republishing or using this content is forbidden without express consent of MEDIAFAX. For this consent, please ask for it by mail at vanzari@mediafax.ro.