Dacia to be sold by all Renault dealers

All Renault dealers in the UK will sell the French carmaker’s Dacia budget brand under a “no haggle” pricing agreement from the beginning of 2013.

With prices starting at under £7,000 for the Sandero supermini and under £10,000 for the Duster SUV. Both models will be launched in the UK in December 2012.

The move is part of a dramatic overhaul of Renault’s UK operations which sees the deletion of the Laguna, Espace, Modus, Wind and Kangoo car models from February 2012. The brand is also axing 55 dealers in a bid to match the size of its network to its volume expectations.

Renault said dealers will only need to invest £3,000 in signage and tooling  for the brand.

The brand has been sold in continental Europe for some years with UK managing director Thierry Sybord having worked on its original purchase from the Romanian government in 1999.

Sybord said Dacia will be a good fit for Renault dealers and its “no haggle” pricing is aimed at new customers who have previously purchased used cars where pricing is one of the main criteria. Fleets will not be offered discounts.

Sybord said Dacia would add volume and profitability to the franchise and its dealers.

“Dacia is fully part of Renault’s action plan. If we had Dacia now our situation would be very different,” he said.

Renault has yet to announce details on whether Dacia will require designated sales staff and what the standard warranty package will cover.