Thursday 5th February 2009

Dacia Concept Images Leaked

Dacia hits back at Top Gear with new concept car (based on Sandero)

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Features built-in catapult

Up until now Dacia has been known for cheap versions of Renaults and the odd joke on Top Gear. But Romania’s leading auto manufacturer is about to up its game with a flash concept car for Geneva.

There are no details yet but we have managed to get our paws on some leaked teaser photos. It looks likely to be a small sporting SUV and is expected to be based on the Sandero hatchback.

A Rancho for the noughties? Possibly, but it will have LED lights and Brembo brakes. All will be revealed in a few weeks…

 

[Collaudatore]

Great news

[Ikemi]

What a waste of Brembo brakes ...

[10 Pence Short]

Ikemi said:

What a waste of Brembo brakes ...

Why?

[mike oxard]

probably invented purely to give top gear something else to laugh at.

[YozzaSport]

could it be using the Clio 197 as a basic platform?

They are quite expensive, so probably don't fit the "cheap" element of the business.

/y0z

[Turbobanana]

Be interesting to see what it looks like when all the thumbnails are glued together.

Anyone remember the previous offerings, Duster and Denem?

[J500ANT]

James May will be pleased

[Flat_Steve]

Anyone can produce a lovely concept, I'll be impressed when they start making them like that.

[thirsty]

I just spent a week in Romania and the old Soviet era Dacias are EVERYWHERE ! Hard to believe they have come this far. I wonder if they are getting help from another car maker. The newer ones on the road look much better, but I was told that even those are not very good cars. The car of preference for the "average" person is a Ford.

[dinkel]

Oh dear, why.

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

We love ours. Keep it simple . . .

[chr15b]

mike oxard said:

probably invented purely to give top gear something else to laugh at.

you know what they say about any form of advertising dont you?

[Marquis_Rex]

dinkel said:

Oh dear, why.

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

We love ours. Keep it simple . . .

Agreed! I think there IS a market for a solid, reliable, no nonsense simple car. It's rampant consumerism with short lead times, hyperbole and rapid product to life times that leads to under developed vehicles, un-necessary complexity and infuriating OBD DTC codes and other problems!

[ScoobieWRX]

Another exciting snippet of news for real petrolheads

That was a good one PH!!

[henrycrun]

Another FUV ? Why ?

[f111lover]

It may be a fantastic car, why rubbish it, let's save opinions until it's actually released. (Assuming it ever does of course)

[z06tim]

I don't know why Top Gear give the "modern" Dacia's such a hard time. The Logan/Sandero and derivatives are pretty good cars for 6000 Euros. Of course they won't have the same safety equipment and gadgets/goodies we are used to in the west, but they make damn good financial sense when say a base model Ford Ka (13 yr old design) will set you back the best part of 6000GBP. However, with the exchange rate the way it is now that doesn't sound nearly as attractive as it did a year ago!

[kambites]

z06tim said:

I don't know why Top Gear give the "modern" Dacia's such a hard time.

Because Top Gear is a tacky entertainment show presented by a bunch of middle-aged juvenile delinquents who only get viewers by enforcing stereotypes in mildly amusing ways?

[dinkel]

z06tim said:

. . . but they make damn good financial sense when say a base model Ford Ka (13 yr old design) will set you back the best part of 6000GBP.

A Ka will fit in our boot. It is amazing how huge these cars are.

A Golf is good for dwarfs sitting in the back. I'm pretty comfy in our Dacia Logan and I'm 1.86m.

Comic handling: you get used to it. I embarrassed a CLK who thought I'd brake before a sharp corner: merging the road from 2 to 1. I did not and he almost lost it. Like I said: you get used to it.

[hilly10]

who gives a st

[chr15b]

z06tim said:

I don't know why Top Gear give the "modern" Dacia's such a hard time. The Logan/Sandero and derivatives are pretty good cars for 6000 Euros. Of course they won't have the same safety equipment and gadgets/goodies we are used to in the west, but they make damn good financial sense when say a base model Ford Ka (13 yr old design) will set you back the best part of 6000GBP. However, with the exchange rate the way it is now that doesn't sound nearly as attractive as it did a year ago!

was it the logan that scored zero in the euro ncap tests, or was it an earlier car?