Dacia Duster

After 10.000 orders in one month after the launch in France Dacia Duster has also a promising degut in Italy.

According to the Italian press, the first Romanian SUV gathered 1.800 orders within seven days after the official launch, 600 of which were made in the very first weekend the Duster  was presented in Italy.

In the debut weekend, Dacia showrooms received 33.000 visitors, 4300 of them making a first test drive with Duster. An analysis of the orders show that most Italians have chosen the Laureate top version of Duster and 63% of the customers preferred the diesel version of the Romanian SUV. A very interesting thing is that only 30% of the Italian clients chose the 4 x 4 version of Duster.

The 10.000 orders only in April in France and the total 20.000 orders in this country have not gone unnoticed. Carlos Ghosn, newly reelected president of Renault-Nissan alliance, said the success of the Romanian SUV is identical to that obtained by Renault Scenic 2 at its launch in 2003.

"I have never seen so many people in showrooms since the launce of Renault  Scenic 2", are the words of Carlos Ghosn, the Brazilian known for that is reluctant to praise one model or another until it is truly convince of its market value.

"When we announced the Duster’s price at the Geneva Motor Show, the journalists present there thought we were wrong. We were wright and in April we have already 10.000 orders for the Duster. Dacia will shake the 4×4 market", said Ghosn.

Dacia Duster was rigorous tested by the french journalists in Morocco. The first who published the test drive results was the french site www.autonews.fr, who made a material about Dacia Duster on the roads and sands of Marrakech.

The French journalists that tested Duster said that the car addresses to the vas majority and not to those who want a model close to the luxury segment. They also stated that there is no car on the market so cheap and that can provide what the Romanian Duster can. To prove that, in only 15 days Duster has received no less than 5.000 orders in France.

The French journalists recommend Dacia despite the "small imperfections" found on all low cost models. They also say that Duster offers an "outstanding comfort for all passengers and a good driving position for the driver".

The French journalists said that Morocco will become "the second home for Duster", since the production will reach 400.000 units per year, slightly more than the Mioveni factory where the production will reach 350.000 units per year. Currently, the Casablanca factory produces 70.000 units but in 2012 will be available the new factory in Tanger.

In Russia the Duster production capacity will be 60.000 units per year as in Brazil, while in Colombia and India the production capacity will be of 20.000 units per year and 30.000 units per year.

Dacia was ranked first in the European Union according to the rate of increase in the new car registration in March, by 61% compared to the same period last year.

Dacia started sending Duster units for the foreign dealers to cope for the first application of the first Romanian SUV. Dacia sends out between 150 and 300 cars every day, most of which are represented by Duster models. In addition, to prepare for the international release, each Dacia dealer will have at least one Duster model for testing.

"Shipments are now only for export. We are sending out daily between 150 and 300 cars, most of them being Duster models," said Dacia officials.

Dacia has over 1.600 sales points in Europe most of them represented by Dacia brand areas in the Renault showrooms. In France, one of the largest markets for Dacia, are over 100 independent dealers, one of them with a showroom on the Cote d’Azur, in a select area.

The production of Duster in now up up 250 units per day, representing 20% of the total production of the Mioveni factory.

Dacia launched in Romania the new Duster, the first SUV in the history of the group, just two weeks after its official debut in the Geneva Motor Show. During the event held in Bucharest, Fabrice Cambolive, the commercial director of Dacia, said that the Romanian model has aroused a particular interest among the local public.

The orders for the new Duster exploded but the surprise for the Dacia officials was the large number of Romanians that chose the higher level of equipment. According to Cambolive, 80% of the clients who ordered Dacia Duster opted for the top version Laureate, at a price around 15.000 euros.

Fabrice Cambolive also said that half of the clients who ordered Duster opted for the 4×4 version, 20% opted for the optional package that includes leather and 40% opted for the brown nut color.

Dacia announced the fuel consumption for all Duster models and the CO2 emissions of all Duster engines.

Here are  the colors in which Duster will be available:

Glacier white		Brown nut
Mineral blue		Gray basalt
Blue Navy		Platinum gray
Black pearl

• A Wheelbase = 2673 mm  
• B Total length = 4315 mm
• C front overhang = 822 mm
• D rear overhang = 820 mm
• K ground clearance 4×2/ 4×4 = 205 mm/210 mm
• L rear legroom = 183 mm
• P1 distance between font seat and ceiling = 907 mm
• P2 distance between rear seat and ceiling = 895 mm
• Z1 floor length = 992 mm
• Z2 length with 2 bench folded = 1760 mm
• 1 slope angle up to 30 degrees angle
• 2 over row angle 23 degrees
• 3 36 degrees angle

• M front elbow room = 1411 mm
• N front shoulder room = 1387 mm
• M1 rear elbow room = 1438 mm
• N1 rear shoulder room 1400 mm
• Y2 space between wheel arches

• H height without roof = 1625 mm
• H height with roof = 1695 mm
• E front track width 1560 mm
• G width without mirrors = 1822 mm
• G width with mirrors = 2000 mm

• F back track width = 1567 mm

Dacia Duster will compete in the second competition after Andros Trophy in Sahara desert in Morocco.

The Renault employees will take part in the Aicha Des Gazelles Trophy in Morocco. Unlike the model used in the Andros Trophy, the models that will be used in the Sahara rally and are standard units which received minimal modifications for approval in the competition.

The Aicha Des Gazzelle competition is an environmental stage and will be wined by the team that will have the lowest CO2  emissions.  The two Dacia Duster that will enter in this competition are equipped with an 1.5 dCi engine with 85 HP. They emit only 140 grams of CO2 per kilometer in 4×4 configuration, which qualify to be part of Dacia eco2 strategy.

The Aicha Des gazelles rally is the only motor sport event in which only women can compete. Unlike other motor sports, speed is not as important in this competition, in which prevails as attending a short distance between two points. Crews can only use a 1:100.000 and 1:250.000 map and a compass to create the best route between the required checkpoints. The purpose of this competition is to emit as few grams of CO2 and to use the smallest distance between checkpoints.

World Records Academy announced on their site that Dacia Duster is the least expensive SUV in the world.

Just a week after the launch in the Geneva Motor Show, Dacia Duster has already received the first international award. World Records Academy, an international organization that certifies world records, designate Duster the most accessible SUV in the world.

The Romanian off-road has a price of 16.200 dollars for the 4×2 version and 18.900 dollars for the 4×4 version. The announcement was made on the official site of the organization, which publishes an extensive material about the performance and the features of the Romanian SUV.

Dacia announced the prices for all Duster versions and for all additional equipment: