New Mercedes A160 CDI and B160 CDI Variants Gain 89HP Diesel from Renault and Dacia Models

Joy of joys for those looking to get into a premium badge for as little money as possible, with very low running costs. Mercedes-Benz has just launched the most affordable variants they will ever offer for their A- and B-Class offerings in Europe.

Dubbed the A160 CDI and B160 CDI, they sport very frugal Renault-sourced diesel engines, six-speed manual gearboxes, and starting prices of €25,882 and €27,310 respectively, in Germany.

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Renault Uses Uninspired Ads to Promote Its New Practical Offerings

There are so many ways in which a video ad for a practical affordable vehicle can be made, but it seems that at Renault, having people put in or move out various objects is more than enough.

Sure, it highlights the practical side of these affordable vehicles well, but those in the market for one are already expecting that so it is a bit redundant – it can’t be that hard to make something which is both informative and entertaining to watch with the kind of ad wizardry that goes on behind the scenes.

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Dacia Duster's Extensive Facelift to Reportedly Premiere in Frankfurt

Launched in 2010, the Duster is currently Dacia’s oldest model on offer, as all other nameplates are less than two years old. Moreover, it isn't only Dacia’s most successful model, but also Renault Group’s best-selling vehicle in the first five months of this year, with 155,729 deliveries worldwide (+59 percent), ahead of the Renault Clio IV (139.397 units), Renault Mégane (133.116) and Sandero (124.918).

To increase sales even more, Renault will freshen up the Duster, with an extensive facelift to be showcased at the upcoming Frankfurt auto show in September, according to a report from French business daily La Tribune.

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Dacia Duster Gets the "Admirable" Treatment from LZParts

The Dacia Duster has become a favorite of European aftermarket companies, with LZParts being the latest firm to take a shot at making the Romanian SUV more attractive. To make it perfectly clear that they want people to like their customized Duster, the folks at LZParts called their tuning program “Admirable”. Read more »

Nissan Reportedly Reworking Dacia Duster into a New Terrano

Dacia has won a lot of praise for its honestly priced lineup of cars, which have convinced many buyers that “cheap doesn’t mean bargain basement.” The Duster, which is also badged as a Renault in some markets, including Russia and India, is gaining popularity, and its reviews are generally positive.

Now, Nissan reportedly wants its own version of the 4x4, which it will name the Terrano, reviving an older nameplate, used from 1993 to 2006. Autocar India is sure of this, adding that the Nissan model will be around $1,000 more expensive than the vehicle on which it’s based. The report seems to confirm a pair of patent pictures of a Nissan-faced Duster that appeared online earlier this year.

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Renault Executive Says No Cheap Mini for Dacia

Contrary to a series of reports in recent years, it looks like Dacia does not plan to build a smaller model than the Sandero after all. Renault’s chief operating officer Carlos Tavares said in an interview that the Dacia brand would not join Europe’s minicar segment. Read more »

Spied: Dacia Duster Small SUV Prepares for its First Botox Treatment

Dacia's foray into the small SUV segment with the affordable Duster has proven successful, but the Renault Group-owned Romanian brand refuses to rest on its laurels and is working on a light facelift, which could be revealed as early as this fall at the Frankfurt Motor Show or alternatively, at next year's Geneva Salon in March. Read more »

EuroNCAP: Dacia Finally Improves on Safety with First 4-Stars, Nissan NV200 Fails to Impress

EuroNCAP’s latest test session will surely be remembered by Dacia as the new Sandero brought the Romanian brand its first-ever 4-star rating. The Nissan Evalia (NV200 in North America) was only awarded 3-stars, while the Renault Captur and Chevrolet Trax both achieved the maximum overall 5-star rating. Read more »

DC Design Turns Renault Duster into a Lux Crossover for Only €5k or $6.5k

Following last week’s teaser photo, Indian coachbuilder and styling firm DC-Design has released the full set of images with its interpretation of the Renault Duster (known as the Dacia Duster in Europe).

Called the DC Duster, the SUV has received a complete overhaul on the inside, with the Indian aftermarket company adding materials like faux wood and artificial leather and fitting the car with a multimedia infotainment system for the rear right passenger.

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India's DC-Design to Give the Dacia Duster a Conceptual Makeover

The Renault Group's Dacia Duster SUV is the latest object of Indian coachbuilder and styling firm DC-Design's affections, as the company has just issued a teaser image of a new concept model it will soon release in the flesh. Read more »

400HP Dacia Logan STCC Racer Takes to the Track, Does 0-100 Km/h in 3 Seconds

Not long ago, we wrote about the Dacia Logan STTC racecar, entered by the Dacia Dealer Team in the Swedish Touring Car Championship. Now we present to you a video of the monstrous Logan-lookalike (more on that below) that has begun testing ahead of the series’ first season race on May 3-4. Read more »

With a £6,995 Price Tag, Dacia Logan MCV Is the UK’s Most Affordable New Estate Car

Dacia announced its fourth model for the UK market, the Logan MCV, which is available from £6,995 (€8,240) – the price of the base Access version.

Dacia’s estate car can be ordered by UK customers starting today, with the first units to arrive in Britain in July. The Logan MCV will be priced around £1,000 more than the Sandero for comparable versions, with the most expensive model being the diesel Laureate version, which starts from £10,795 (€12,715).

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Auto Shop Spends €10,000 and 30 Days to Build a Dacia Logan Coupe with Bits from Hyundai Coupe

Three years ago, Romanian auto repair shop AutoK9 built a convertible version of the Dacia Logan. It was a one-off prototype aimed at demonstrating the workshop’s technical abilities. Now they did it again, only this time they built a coupe version of Dacia's first-generation budget sedan.

To convert the Logan into a coupe in a fast and cost-effective way, AutoK9 added the roof and doors from a Hyundai Coupe on a regular Logan bodywork and chassis. After integrating the Korean parts, the folks from the repair shop fitted sport seats and steering wheel, as well as a lowered suspension and a noisier exhaust.

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STCC-Ready Dacia Logan Racing Car is a Saab 9-3 in Drag

The piece we wrote earlier about the Scandinavian Touring Car Championship- or STCC-ready Dacia Logan, was such an oddball story that some may have clicked it hoping to ridicule the Romanian carmaker' attempt at making a touring car based on their most basic means of transportation.

Most of you will have noticed that the car shown in the photos was unusually long and low, nothing like the Logan on which it was supposedly based.

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Dacia Workers Want Bigger Wages After Strike Ends

We previously reported that production at the main Dacia plant, in Mioveni, Romania, stopped last week, as workers from the paint shop section of the factory flooded the courtyard demanding higher wages and better work conditions. We also reported, that according to a local source from the country, they were demanding a 25 percent pay raise. Read more »

After Pikes Peak and the Andros Trophy, Dacia Tries Sweden's Touring Car Championship

Dacia has been one of the most stably growing automakers in Europe in recent years, and in 2012, they managed to sell 360,000 cars around the world. Along the line, they decided to add a bit of zest to the Dacia name, and ended up with a monster Duster which raced at Pikes Peak, and another Duster, specially-designed to be driven on ice, which competed in the Andros Trophy. Read more »

Dacia Workers Launch Sudden Strike, Stop Production at Romanian Plant

Several hundred workers at the main Dacia plant, located in Mioveni, Romania, went on strike yesterday, fearing mass layoffs due to contracts not being signed in time, and criticizing the management for overworking them and treating them "like slaves".

According to the local media, they are asked to build a car every 40 seconds. They also decided to launch the strike because their request for a 25 percent increase in their pay went unnoticed.

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Dacia Range May Gain Larger Sedan and City Car, But Not in the Next 18 Months

The Dacia brand, recently launched in the UK, is currently doing quite well in all markets where it is present. The latest generation of the Logan and Sandero have already gone on sale, completing a range which includes the Duster SUV, Lodgy MPV and the Dokker commercial vehicle.

In addition, a new model was revealed at this year's edition of the Geneva Motor Show, the estate version of the Logan, called the MCV.

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Dacia Gives Duster More Character with Adventure Limited Edition

We had heard that Dacia might show a refreshed version of its Duster SUV at the Geneva Motor Show, but instead the Romanian brand brought along a new limited edition version of the series named 'Adventure'. Read more »

New Dacia Logan MCV Ditches Third Row Seating and Becomes Mainstream [Live Photo Update]

Back in 2006, when Dacia launched the Logan MCV estate/wagon, their model lineup was limited, so they decided to have two models in one – a cavernous estate and a seven-seater MPV. The exterior styling and dimensions reflected this as well – it looked like an estate, but it was made extra-tall to offer the headroom MPV buyers would expect. Read more »