At the last Paris Motor Show, the presentation of the Bigster, the new C-SUV from Dacia, aroused keen interest from visitors. Precisely in this interview, Xavier Martinet, Marketing, Sales and Operations Director of the Dacia brandenlightens us on the strategic choices that motivate the expansion of the brand beyond the B segment. Also, for him, it is a question of returning to Dacia’s commitment to low-carbon mobility and to the central role of Morocco , both in terms of production and commercial performance.
Challenge: What are the reasons that pushed Dacia to expand its offering beyond the B segment and to enter the C-SUV market in Europe?
Xavier Martinet : For 20 years, Dacia has successfully focused on B-segment cars, with models like the Logan, Sandero and Duster, which have earned the loyalty of a large part of its customer base. Thus in Europe, Dacia has the highest loyalty rate among general brands with 68% of customers repeating their purchase by opting for our brand’s models. However, 32% of customers leave Dacia, often for lack of a larger model. Faced with this observation, we assessed the opportunity to diversify our offering and turned to the C-SUV segment, the largest and most profitable in Europe, with nearly 2.8 million vehicles sold per year. Instead of launching into other markets, the brand deemed it more relevant to target this segment in Europe, however requiring adjustments to meet customer expectations.
Since the launch of the Bigster concept in 2021, Dacia has conducted extensive research with its customers to design a model that perfectly meets their expectations. This work was accompanied by efforts to strengthen Dacia’s brand image, important for C-SUV buyers. Thus, the Bigster will be offered at a competitive price, with a gasoline attack version below 25,000 euros and a hybrid version below 30,000 euros. With a model well positioned in terms of design, habitability and engines, we aim to establish ourselves in the C-SUV segment by meeting the high demands of this competitive market.
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Challenge: With the acceleration of electrification in the automotive industry, where is Dacia positioned in terms of electric mobility?
X.M. : It is important to remember that Dacia is part of the Renault group. Under the leadership of Lucas de Meo, a major effort was made to clarify the positioning of the group’s brands. For many years, the Renault brand has been resolutely committed to the development of electric vehicles, while Dacia stands out for affordable low-carbon mobility, including LPG and hybrid. Although our brand already offers the Spring as an electric model, the next big step in our electrification will concern the new Sandero, planned around 2028. In any case, Dacia continues to offer low-carbon mobility, perfectly adapted in terms of price and relevance for its customers.
Challenge: How do you perceive the evolution of the Moroccan automobile industry under the leadership of the Renault Group and the commercial performance of Dacia in this context?
X.M. : Morocco is one of the two key countries for Dacia, with installed production capacities greater than those of Romania, which underlines its importance for us. Our industrial strategy is strengthened with the transfer of production of the Jogger from Romania to Morocco, allowing increased synergies with the Logan and Sandero manufactured locally. This consolidation of production makes us more efficient and demonstrates Dacia’s commitment to Morocco. The group’s anchoring in the Kingdom also involves developing the location of suppliers. Strengthening local supply would be excellent news for Dacia and the Renault group, but also for the Moroccan economy, with job creation and a positive economic impact.
We are therefore committed to continuing this localization strategy around our Casablanca and Tangier sites. Commercially, Dacia is currently the leading brand on the Moroccan market, followed by Renault. The group’s brands occupy a privileged place among Moroccan consumers. Moreover, we want to maintain this positive dynamic and our leadership on the market.
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Challenge: How does the strategy of involving Dacia in Rally Raid align with the brand’s image?
X.M. : We have worked for a long time to define what characterizes Dacia, with clear markers, namely a brand that is both essential and cool, robust and geared towards the outdoors, while being “eco-smart”, that is to say say economical and ecological. This vision guides each project, each product, and the brand’s commitment, including our involvement in rally raids. As you know, our first participation in the discipline took place during the Rallye du Maroc and resulted in the victory of Nasser Al Attiyah and Edouard Boulanger and the second place of Sébastien Loeb and Fabian Lurquin. Precisely, this type of rally perfectly symbolizes Dacia’s values: it is “cool”, demanding in terms of robustness, and aligns our ecological commitment thanks to synthetic fuels, a technology that we are also testing with dedicated fleets of Dacia vehicles.
This rally-raid program would not have been launched without this ecological dimension, because Dacia is also exploring alternative solutions to electric vehicles, such as e-fuels, to respond to future challenges in a sustainable manner. Our commitment to rally raid is therefore fully consistent with our identity and will strengthen the brand’s image in the years to come.
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New Bigster: Dacia enters the C-SUV segment in force
The Bigster marks Dacia’s entry into the C-SUV segment with a modern and robust design, incorporating finishes such as a two-tone bodywork and 19” rims. Inside, it offers a 10.1” central screen, a digital dashboard, dual-zone climate control, electrically adjustable seats, a panoramic sunroof, and an Arkamys 3D audio system. Practical and spacious, it offers a modular trunk, a 40-20-40 bench seat, adaptable roof bars, and a motorized tailgate, a first for the brand. On the engine side, it is 100% electrified, with a diesel version for the Moroccan market, and a 4×4 version for off-road enthusiasts.
Dacia exceeds the 500,000 sales milestone in 2024
Dacia continues its global growth with 500,957 vehicles sold during the first nine months of 2024, recording an increase of 1.5% compared to the previous year. In Europe, with 432,332 units sold (+2.2%), the brand reached 9e place in the passenger vehicle market, confirming its appeal to private customers. It experienced notable increases in Italy (+15.0%) and Spain (+14.6%), and remained stable 3e on the French market thanks to the new models, Duster and Spring. The Dacia Sandero, up 16.3%, remains the best-selling vehicle in Europe. At 3e Quarter 2024, sales decreased slightly by 3.8% (142,431 units), due to the transition of the Spring and Duster models. Still, the outlook remains positive with strong demand for the new Duster. Regarding Morocco, Dacia remains the number 1 in the automobile market in the passenger vehicle segment with 26% market share and 28,519 vehicles sold since the start of the year. An increase of 2.5 points in market share and +23.5% for volume compared to the end of September 2023.
