Budget brand Dacia has sold three million cars in ten years across Europe, as the brand looks to expand further

Renault-owned budget brand Dacia is proving that cheap-and-cheerful sells, as its three-millionth car has been sold in Europe.

At a ceremony at the Paris Motor Show, thre three-millionth customer was presented with his Sandero Stepway by Senior Vice President Nicholas Wertens.

The Romanian brand, which was bought by Renault in 1999, has rapidly expanded to other countries, and is looking to spread further as it debuts in Israel at the end of this year. In 2013, Dacia launched in the UK, selling 35,000 cars in a year, as well as in sixth other European countries.

Starting with the hugely successful Logan saloon and estate in 2004, the ‘no-frills’ brand has benefitted from Renault part-sharing, with the bestselling Sandero supermini using the chassis from the old Clio. The Sandero is also the cheapest car you can buy in the UK, at £5,995.

While the brand is quickly finding its feet in this country, there’s no doubt it is also building a huge customer base around Europe. During the first half of 2014, Dacia registered the biggest increase in sales of any brand on sale, at over 36%.

Both the Logan MCV estate and Duster SUV are by far the cheapest models in their sector, starting from £6,995 and £9,495 respectively.

The company also plans to make an even cheaper city car, based on the Renault Twingo, to be launched at some point next year. Meanwhile, Renaultsport has even announced plans for a hot version of the Sandero supermini, which unfortuantely won’t appear in the UK.

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk