Dacia UK is on course in 2022 to surpass 2021’s record market share with a newly expanded line-up, a new brand identity and a steadfast commitment to affordability in the face of price hikes in all sectors.
Leading the charge is brand director Luke Broad, who heads up the year-old Dacia UK Business Unit, established in line with Renault Group CEO Luca de Meo’s ploy to give each group brand more independence. Here, he tells Autocar how Dacia is adapting to the new motoring status quo without losing sight of its core values.
What have been some barriers to Dacia’s development?
“It was more the depth and breadth of people that were available. In the old environment, there was a brand manager, a product manager, and a marketing communications manager - and that was basically Dacia in the UK, with lots of Groupe Renault functions.
“Given the amount of people dedicated to Dacia at the time, and given what we achieved - I’m actually quite proud of it. Now, with more people – particularly in aftersales, PR, the product area, sales performance in the network - we can be across a lot more topics, rather than just focusing on product and marketing, so it’s a full 360 business, really.”
But being part of the Renault Group still holds benefits?
“Exactly. Even today, we are a team of nine people, but we are part of Renault Group, so there are a lot of people who work here with us, who – although they might not be 100% dedicated to the Dacia brand – are on both brands, so we’ve got the full backing of the group, which really, really helps.”
Do you anticipate higher turnover as a result of today’s economic situation?
“I don’t think so. People’s pockets are squeezed and they have a budget – some budgets are higher than others – but what I would say is that we’re probably on more people’s consideration list than we were previously. When I speak to customers myself, they say: ‘I’d not really considered Dacia but I’ve gone to my local showroom, I sat in one and I’m really surprised about the quality of materials and what I get for my money.’”
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