Dacia Sandero is maintaining its position as Europe's best-selling model, while Duster remains in the top 10, with the carmaker from Mioveni surpassing the threshold of ten million vehicles sold globally since the launch of the first Logan in 2004, according to an analysis by specialists from Romanian Economic Monitor (RoEM) - UBB FSEGA.
Data included in the research project of the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration (FSEGA) of Babes-Bolyai University (UBB) show that Dacia and Ford generate 9% of Romania's annual exports.
'According to the final data, around 268,000 Dacia Sandero units were sold in Europe in 2024, while another brand model, Dacia Duster, returned to the top 10 best-selling models, ranking ninth with about 175,000 units delivered, after having held the same position in 2022. The most recent available data for 2025, covering the January-November period, show that Sandero maintains its position as Europe's sales leader, while Duster also remains in the top 10. As a result of these performances, Dacia has surpassed the threshold of 10 million vehicles sold globally since the launch of the first Logan in 2004,' the analysis shows.
The first generation of Dacia Sandero was launched in 2008 and the model currently on the market is the third generation, positioned in the B segment of small passenger cars. The significant improvement in quality achieved with the second generation led to considerable success in Europe, with Sandero entering the top 10 best-selling cars in 2019, ranking seventh.
'Even though Dacia's popularity in Romania has always been high due to its favourable price-to-quality ratio and adequate technical level, the brand has meanwhile managed to consolidate a strong position on the European market as well, gaining the trust of a broad audience,' said Levente Szasz, Vice-Rector of UBB Cluj-Napoca and coordinator of the RoEM-UBB FSEGA team.
According to the source, Dacia carries out assembly activities both on the European market and in North Africa through its plant in Morocco.
'The third generation has continued this evolution, while also preserving one of its most important competitive advantages: affordability. This aspect has become increasingly relevant in recent years, given that over the past five years the average price of B-segment cars in Europe has increased by almost 22%. As a result, price has become an increasingly important criterion in purchasing decisions. This trend is also confirmed by the fact that second place in the European sales rankings is also held by a small-class model, the Renault Clio. Although it has long been a popular model, until 2021 the rankings were traditionally dominated by the Volkswagen Golf,' explained Otto Csiki, a researcher with the RoEM-UBB FSEGA team.
In terms of turnover, the company ranks second among Romania's largest companies, with sales of over 5.5 billion euros in 2024, immediately after market leader OMV Petrom. In terms of number of employees, the carmaker ranks seventh nationally, with around 11,000 employees.
'Strong European demand for Dacia models is directly reflected in Romania's export volumes. According to the latest data, around 9% of the total value of the country's exports comes from car exports (Dacia and Ford combined). The automotive sector thus represents a strategic pillar of the Romanian economy, to which Dacia contributes significantly. Although most Sandero models are produced at the plant in Morocco, around two thirds of the Duster production is assembled in Mioveni. In this context, Duster's consistent presence in the top 10 in recent years is particularly good news for Romania's automotive production,' the specialist stressed.
Romanian Economic Monitor is a research project of the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration of Babes-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca, through which the six university researchers involved publish a series of economic data in the form of interactive infographics designed to provide a comprehensive, real-time updated picture of Romania's economic situation.
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