Dacia 2018 sales hit all-time high of 700,798 units

Carmaker Dacia had in 2018 the best commercial performance in its history, with sales on the domestic and international market totaling 700,798 units, up 7 pct from the previous year, the car manufacturer said in a release on Friday.

"Sales of the Romanian car brand practically doubled in just seven years, topping the 350,000-unit mark in 2012, 400,000 in 2013, 500,000 in 2014 and 600,000 in 2017," said representatives of the car manufacturer.

Dacia sales on foreign markets increased 5.5 pct to over 646,000 units.

One of the company's best performances was recorded in Europe, with 511,000 vehicles sold in 2018; this outcome moved the Romanian car builder up to position 14 in the ranking of the best-selling brands on the continent, with a market share of 2.9 pct, 0.27 percentage points higher compared to the previous year.

Sales hit record-highs in France, Italy, Spain, Poland and Belgium, while in Germany, Dacia was close to the 2009 record. Almost 50,000 vehicles were sold in Morocco.

On the domestic market, 54,593 customers opted for a car from the range of the Mioveni-based vehicle manufacturer (26.2 pct more than in the previous year). According to estimates, Dacia's market share increased to over 30 pct of new vehicle sales in Romania.

"Sales increased for all the models in the range, and apart from that, last year too, each Dacia model was leader in its respective market segment. The new Duster has established itself as a true brand growth driver, right in its first year, with sales exceeding by 13,179 units the best performance ever achieved in Romania by its predecessor. Most customers chose the most accessorized versions, with the 4x4 variant accounting for 77 pct of total sales," the release said.

The Logan sedan ended 2018 with 21,176 units sold in Romania, the equivalent to almost 39 pct of all Dacia vehicles delivered on the domestic market. Sandero remained in 2018 the leader of the domestic B-segment, with sales of 10,218 units. Results were also good for the Logan MCV (3,779 units), Dokker (2,227 units) and Lodgy (1,061 units), as each preserved its leading position on the respective segments, the Dacia release also says.

Dacia was taken over by Renault in 1999. Re-launched in 2004 with the Logan model, Dacia has grown into a high-profile player on the European car market. AGERPRES (RO - author: Andreea Marinescu, editor: Mariana Nica; EN - author: Simona Klodnischi, editor: Simona Iacob)