Dacia Sandero made and sold in Morocco

DACIA SANDERO 1.4 LPG

CASABLANCA, Morocco : June 3, 2009 - The launch of the compact Sandero hatchback marks a major step in the growth of the Dacia brand in Morocco. Sandero extends Dacia's model line-up, which already comprises the Logan family saloon and Logan MCV (which went on sale in 2005 and 2008 respectively), and seeks to win over a new category of customer.

• Dacia's compact yet spacious Sandero hatchback is to go on sale in Morocco and extend the Dacia product line-up already comprising Logan and Logan MCV. Dacia Sandero will be commercialized on June 18, 2009 and will come with a three-year/100,000km warranty.
  
• The cars for the Moroccan market are built at the Renault group's SOMACA plant in Casablanca. • At the end of April 2009, Dacia was Morocco's second best-selling brand, just after Renault. It has a 16 per cent share of the passenger car market. Logan has been the Moroccan market's best-selling vehicle since 2006 with a total of 48,000 units sold since launch.
  
• With the production of Dacia Sandero in Morocco, the Renault group continues its international expansion. Following the opening of factories in Curitiba (Brazil), Sofasa (Colombia) and Pitesti (Romania), plus Nissan's manufacturing facilities in Rosslyn (South Africa), the SOMACA plant has taken on production of the latest addition to the Entry Programme (Logan platform).
  
• With sales totalling 76,500 cars – chiefly in Europe – since the model's launch in July 2008, Dacia Sandero has succeeded in winning over new customers who are looking for a compact yet spacious and robust hatchback.

Indeed, Dacia customers are essentially one-car owners and have traditionally bought used vehicles. They are particularly attentive to price which is the prevailing factor in the decision to purchase. Sandero targets rational, pragmatic motorists who are noticeably younger than buyers of other Dacia models.

Dacia Sandero is a compact yet roomy hatchback which, in terms of price, is positioned in the small car segment, although its interior and exterior dimensions are more in keeping with those of a car from the higher compact vehicle category. Sandero goes on sale in Morocco on June 18, 2009, and the value for money represented by its performance/equipment package perfectly match's the brand's philosophy. It comes with a threeyear/ 100,000km warranty.

Dacia's 16 per cent share of Morocco's passenger car market as of the end of April, 2009, confirms its status as the country's second best-selling brand. Meanwhile, Logan has been Morocco's best-selling vehicle since 2006 (all brands, all models) with 14,500 units sold in 2008. Dacia Sandero naturally stands to benefit from the positive reputation of its elder sibling Dacia Logan which is widely acclaimed for its reliability and robust design.

SOMACA in detail
Dacia Sandero is assembled in the SOMACA factory (Société Marocaine de Construction Automobile) in Casablanca of which the Renault group owns an 80 per cent stake. As is the case with all the Renault group's production facilities, the Moroccan plant is ISO 14001-certified.

Like Logan, which has been manufactured in this factory since July 2005, Sandero is produced from CKD (Completely Knocked Down) kits using parts delivered essentially from Romania and other parts localized in Morocco. The local integration rate of Sandero is 40%, the same as Logan.

Production of Sandero at the SOMACA plant has been made possible thanks to the site's flexibility and optimizes the factory's capacity. More than 70 per cent of its components are shared with Dacia Logan, a factor which not only facilitates the production of different models on the same line but which has also led to investment-related savings.

A total of €16 million was invested for the production of Sandero at the SOMACA factory. This investment was overseen by engineers and technical experts from Renault and included the creation of a specific body shop, an increase in the capacity of the paint shop, as well as the modernization of a rolling road test-bed at the end of the assembly line. The Sanderos produced at the SOMACA factory are for the Moroccan market.

[Source : RENAULT-DACIA]