Renault has slammed the brakes on plans to introduce the new Dacia Sandero in right hand drive markets early next year, disrupting programmes by British, Cypriot, Maltese and Irish importers to launch the budget brand.
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Dealers, predominantly Renault franchise holders, who were soon to sign agreements and attend preview events, have been told they must wait at least another year for the car.
And journalists from right-hand-drive European markets invited to a ride and drive exercise in Croatia next month have had their invitations withdrawn because Renault deemed it “no longer relevant”.
For the UK based ‘filiale’, or national subsidiary, the postponement is particularly frustrating as Renault UK provisionally planned to revamp its 16-car stand at next month’s London international motor show to make room for the Romanian-built budget model.
A source involved in the Dacia programme said: “Thankfully we are not too far down the road, but we are not over-happy it has been canned for 12 months. A series of meetings was planned over the next few weeks to finalise things.”
Between 90 and 100 UK Renault dealers are believed to have been initially offered the bolt-on ‘value’ franchise for the sub-GBP7,000 (EUR8,900) five-door hatchback.
An SUV crossover is also planned by the end of next year, to create a wider range vital to the franchise’s viability in right-hand-drive markets, which seem unlikely to receive the existing highly successful Logan models.
Renault’s statement from Paris headquarters would only confirm that the Sandero’s UK launch “will now be in 2010.”
It said: “Right hand drive Sandero is to be built at the Pitesti plant in Romania for the UK, Ireland, Malta and Cyprus. Due to significant demand for the existing Dacia (Logan) range, and similar high demand anticipated for Sandero, the decision has been made to delay the start of right-hand-drive production to maximise available production to meet the demand for those countries already [selling] Dacia.”
With UK sales down 13.5% during the first five months of this year and the Laguna underachieving in its sector Renault’s network was enthusiastic about potentially strong Dacia volumes.
It looked on enviously as sales of Logans (launched in mainland Europe in 2005) climbed by 68% to 80,000 units in western Europe last year including a spectacular 175% rise in Germany. Dacia was the ninth best selling French market car brand in the first two months of this year.
Renault UK is hopeful that it is not a case of deja vous after having had to wait 13 years before securing the right to sell the previously left-hand-drive only Twingo.
The British operation is believed to have decided not to offer diesel Sanderos and concentrate on 1.4 and 1.6-litre petrol variants, due to the escalating pump price of diesel (at least GBP1.30 a litre or GBP6.00 a gallon) and the car’s anticipated predominantly retail customers.
Hugh Hunston
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