On Wednesday, April 20, Romanian brand Dacia put the finishing touches on a Duster Extreme LE finished in Urban Gray, the 10 millionth vehicle produced by the Romanian carmaker since its inception in 1968.
The crossover rolled off the line at Dacia’s Mioveni plant and not only is the car a testament to Dacia’s history, but also a sign of how quickly the company is expanding.
It took Dacia 17 years to make its first million cars and another 13 years to reach 2 million cars produced. By 2014, thought, following Renault’s purchase of the brand, the company had made five million vehicles and it took it just eight more years to make another five million.
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“We are very proud to have passed the symbolic milestone of 10 million vehicles produced. This result rewards a pragmatic vision of the automobile, focused on what is really essential for our customers,” said Denis Le Vot, CEO of Dacia and LADA. “Building on its experience, Dacia will continue to grow and to offer attractive vehicles that are adapted to our customers’ lifestyles.”
The first vehicle the brand ever made was the Dacia 1100, which started production in August 1968. The following year, the company introduced the 1300 and a family of derivatives that were enormously popular and stayed in production for 35 years. In that time, the company made 2.3 million 1300s, leaving a distinct mark on the Romanian automotive landscape.
Renault bought Dacia in 1999, starting a new chapter for it and opening it up to international markets. The Sandero and Sandero Stepway have been the best-selling vehicles to private customers in Europe since 2017 and the company has made 2.6 million of them since they were introduced in 2008. It has also made 2.1 million Dusters and 1.95 million Logans since introducing them.
As a result, Dacia has opened several factories outside of Romania and Europe, and its models are now sold in 44 countries.