1. FIVE SENSES PROJECTPRODUCTS FROM OUR COUNTRIESThis project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication [communication] reflects theviews only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of theinformation contained therein.

2. Dacia CarDichiseni School 3. IntroductionAutomobile Dacia S.A. is a Romanian car manufacturer, named for thehistoric region that constitutes much of present-day Romania. It is now asubsidiary of the French carmaker Renault. The company is the largestexporter from Romania with 7.9% of total exports in 2011.The Dacia manufacturing plant in Mioveni, Arge County is currently Europe'sfifth biggest car manufacturing facility in terms of volume produced with atotal of 412,718 units (cars + CKD collections) delivered in 2013. 4. The beginningsThe Dacia automobile company was founded in 1966 under the name Uzina de Autoturisme Piteti(UAP). The main Dacia factory was built in 1968, in Colibai (now called Mioveni), near Piteti. Daciaacquired the tooling and basic designs of the Renault 12. However, until the tooling was ready it wasdecided to produce theRenault 8 under licence; it was known as the Dacia 1100. From 1968 to 1972,some 44,000 were produced, with a very minor cosmetic change to the front in early 1970. Alsoproduced in very limited numbers was the 1100S, with twin headlamps and a more powerful engine,used by the police and in motor racing. 5. Dacia 1300The first Dacia 1300 left the assembly line ready for the 23 August parade in1969, and was exhibited at the Paris and Bucharest shows of that year.Romanians were delighted with the modernity and reliability of the car, andwaiting lists were always lengthy. As early as 1970, there were several variants:the standard 1300, the 1300L (for Lux) and the 1301 Lux Super, which hadnovelties such as a heated rear screen, a radio, windscreen mirrors on bothsides and a more luxurious trim. This was reserved for the CommunistParty nomenklatura. 6. The 1980sThe designers were still coming up with fresh ideas, many of them shrouded insecrecy. Prototypes such as the 500cc Mini-Dacia, as well as Dacia 1310 variants, weredesigned; some, such as the Dacia 1310 Limousine, are still on the road. These cars areeagerly prized by Dacia enthusiasts, and Dacia web forums are full of evidence aboutthe rarities and oddities produced by Dacia during the 1980s. In 1982, afterthe 1302 was dropped, the Dacia 1304 Pick-up and 1305 Drop-side models wereintroduced. Actually, they had been launched from 1981. 7. Dacia Nova and SuperNovaFrom late 1994 little attention was paid to the improvement of the 1310 range, as Dacialaunched a new model, the Dacia Nova. This was a compact saloon/sedan or hatchbackwith a three-box design. The design was rather outdated, because development work hadstarted in 1983. Urban myth in Romania suggests that it was a version of the Renault 11 orthe Peugeot 309. However, the Nova is a 100% Romanian design, started after the end ofany French involvement in Dacia. 8. Dacia Pick-up Double Cab 4X4Dacia SolenzaDacia 1410 9. 20042011The Dacia Logan is the most successful model since the original 1300. It wasintroduced after considerable media interest in August 2004, and despitedesign-related criticism, it became one of the top-selling cars in Central andEastern Europe, as well as Russia. The Logan is sold in a large number ofcountries, occasionally under the Renault brand. It was awarded 3 (out of 5)stars in NCAP crash testing. It is by far the best-selling car in Romania, with amarket share of 27% in February 2008.A diesel version was also introduced in2005. Before its launch, it was known as the 5000-Euro car due to its projectedlaunch price. This was never quite the case, althought it is one of the cheapestcar for its size on the market.The Renault Technologie Roumanie engineering centre was set up in 2006,in Bucharest, Romania. Employing approximately 2,500 engineers, its mainfields of activity are the development, testing and design of the new vehicles inthe Dacia range, as well as the marketing and technical support. The followingyear, the company also set up a styling office, Renault Design CentralEurope.case, although it is one of the cheapest cars for its size on the market. 10. Dacia Sandero 2008Dacia Logan MCV 11. Dacia DusterIn 2009, a new concept called the Dacia Duster was unveiled atthe Geneva Motor Show, signaling manufacturer's intentions ofreleasing an SUV model. This was reportedly the inauguration of theplatform that would be used for the second generation of the Logan andSandero models, released in 2012.In 2010, the Dacia Duster was exhibited at the Geneva Motor Show. Itis the first crossover SUV built by Dacia since the Renault acquisition,in both 4x2 and 4x4 versions. Officially revealed since 8 December2009, it became available in Europe from 18 March 2010.In September 2010, a testing center was opened in Titu, Romania, aspart of Renault Technologie Roumanie.It is intended for developing andoptimizing the new vehicles in the Dacia range and has nine types oftrack with a total length of 32 kilometres and around one hundred testbenches, used to test the resistance of vehicles and replacement partsto cold, heat and rain. 12. Dacia Duster Laureate K9K 13. Dacia LodgyIn 2009, a new concept called the Dacia Duster was unveiled at the Geneva MotorShow, signaling manufacturer's intentions of releasing an SUV model. This wasreportedly the inauguration of the platform that would be used for the secondgeneration of the Logan and Sandero models, released in 2012.In 2010, the Dacia Duster was exhibited at the Geneva Motor Show. It is the firstcrossover SUV built by Dacia since the Renault acquisition, in both 4x2 and 4x4versions. Officially revealed since 8 December 2009, it became availablein Europe from 18 March 2010.In September 2010, a testing center was opened in Titu, Romania, as part ofRenault Technologie Roumanie.It is intended for developing and optimizing thenew vehicles in the Dacia range and has nine types of track with a total length of32 kilometres and around one hundred test benches, used to test the resistanceof vehicles and replacement parts to cold, heat and rain. 14. Dacia Lodgy 15. Ariana Ivanciu & Ioana Dragnea, 8th Grade, Dichiseni School, RomaniaThank youfor yourattention!