Abandoning its initial low-cost positioning for two years to move very opportunely towards “outdoor” leisure activities, Dacia would potentially be the ideal candidate to venture into the lucrative vanlife business. A market which experienced a real post-Covid boom ending with the 2023 financial year. Since then, the blow has subsided, largely due to the increase in prices (more than 20% in two years). According to professionals in the sector, a motorhome like a van is a purchase that takes longer to mature than for any other type of vehicle. The decision sometimes takes two to three years and the desire can pass. Backed by the Renault Group, the Romanian brand would be able to stand out by offering a relevant model, aimed precisely, not getting lost in the superfluous and at an ultra-low price.
The Sleep Pack is celebrating
Especially since, for equipment, the Qstomize subsidiary, which has been working on behalf of Renault for 14 years and which supplies Dacia with the Sleep Packs, is in charge – internal operation guarantees controlled prices. Already 3,200 units sold on the Jogger (including 1,100 in France) and 800 on the new Duster (including more than 400 in France), to which are added 4,000 sets of blackouts (blinds for spending a night in complete privacy ) and 1,700 roof tents, the campers have adhered to the Dacia philosophy. In the context of a van, you should consider a Sleep Pack incorporating a mini-kitchen, nothing insurmountable.
A journey strewn with pitfalls
However, if many campers already dream of a Dacia van, the obstacles to its industrialization remain numerous. Let’s review them. A van is above all a converted version of a utility vehicle, whose lifespan is significantly longer than that of a model intended for individuals. In the case of the Renault Group cited above, the appropriate example, that of Trafic, demonstrates this. The first version born in 1980 remained in the catalog for two decades. The second generation lived for 13 years, from 2001 to 2014, and the current variant launched on this date will last for a few more years. The utility vehicle is precisely the Achilles heel of Dacia, a brand which remains the one which sells the most to individuals, with 85% of its registrations sold in 2023 to its last ones.
Moreover, today, Dacia no longer has a utility vehicle in its catalog. The attempt made by the Dokker from 2012 to 2020 was not a success. Indeed, this model born to replace the Logan MCV was produced from 2012 to 2021 by the Dacia factory in Tangier, Morocco, in 401,000 units in glass versions for individuals, compared to 204,000 units for the sheet metal variant (Dacia Dokker Van) for craftsmen. The descendant of the Dokker is the Renault Kangoo Express, a model which is located in the Losange utility offering just below the Kangoo, with a more attractive starting price than the latter.
But it is no longer offered under the Dacia label. For comparison, the predecessor of the Dokker, the Logan MCV, was manufactured on the historic Romanian industrial site of Mioveni in 380,000 units between 2006 and 2012 in glass versions with 5 and 7 seats for families, compared to only 49,000 copies ( from 2007 to 2012) for the Logan Van sheet metal version.
The discount policy applied by historical players in the utility vehicle market is not that of Dacia, which immediately opts for the right price without having to subsequently resort to discussions or bargaining. Without forgetting that, for artisans and traders, there is also a certain loyalty to a dealer, a proximity too. It is not always easy to approach a new entrant and change your habits.
Of course, it is very tempting to draw a Dacia van using Photoshop. We had also made a first attempt (pictured above) at the end of May 2023, on the occasion of an article entitled Dacia Stepcamper: the van according to Dacia, that’s what we want! Publication which, at the time, had a good audience and whose visual you really liked on social networks. In addition to this satisfaction, the article unexpectedly allowed us to engage in discussion with people working for the brand. The latter told us that such a project was obviously very tempting, but that it involved a much more complex strategy than a simple change of grille based on a Renault Traffic. picture
Indeed, the Nissan NV300 or even Fiat clones (before the entry into the Stellantis fold) – the Talento produced in 2016 in the Renault Sandouville factory alongside its “diamond” matrix – have never been offered significantly cheaper than the Renault Trafic. To significantly lower the cost price and de facto the selling price, manufacturing in the firm’s Romanian factory, that of Mioveni which was put into service in 1968, is essential, due to its less labor force. expensive. This also involves a design at a very early stage, in parallel with that of the vehicle being considered by Renault, in order to take advantage of Dacia’s own suppliers and equipment manufacturers, whose specifications target materials and quality suitable for a low-cost vehicle. A whole ecosystem must be put in place.
Always more constraints, which add to the bill
Safety constraints are also now being added, particularly with the GSR2 standards which came into force last July, imposing a large number of standard equipment, significantly increasing the bill. Without forgetting the arrival of 100% electric engines, not really compatible with vans, or even rechargeable hybrid technology which considerably increases the price. You will have understood, all this does not go in the direction of the story. Would the Dacia van project have had more chances a little over a decade ago, when Renault created the current Trafic? The van market was less buoyant then and Dacia did not yet have this cool image… It’s difficult to align all the planets.
