Five times more Dacias in the EU

The number of new Dacia cars registered in the West European states and in the new EU member states stood at 10,880 units in the first quarter of this year, compared to 2,405 vehicles seen in the same period of last year, according to a study conducted by the European Car Manufacturers Association (ACEA). ACEA”s analysis included 23 states of the European Union, with Malta and Cyprus not being considered for the survey. The study also included states that are members of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), Norway, Switzerland and Iceland. Dacia”s market share increased to 0.3% in the first three months, from 0.1% in the first quarter of 2005. The total number of new registered cars in the above-mentioned states stood at 4.13 million in the first quarter, 3.2% above the number seen in 2005. Dacia”s most important model is the Logan, launched in September 2004 in Romania. The French group Renault, which owns Dacia, initially announced that the car would mainly target emerging markets, but decided in the summer of 2005 to start selling the Logan model in Western European states, as well. Mediafax