the Dacia

As I have previously stated Romanians often view western products as superior to what they make domestically. One major exception to this rule is their attitude toward cars. The local Romanian Dacia remains very common here. The Dacia was the official state-manufactured car during the communist regime and is one of the few that has been able to innovate and stay competitive after the fall of the iron curtain. Poloniz, Volga, and Lada, Yugo have gone out of business; only Dacia and the Czech Skoda have managed to continue as privatized companies. Skoda has enjoyed international success in recent year with a large market share in Europe(including Romanina) and rising popularity in China. Dacia, while not as much of a major player internationally, has continued to garner a sizable share of Romanian loyalty despite competition from western brands. The company retains a respectable 28% market share in Romania. This being said, Dacias are no longer a 100% Romanian product. The company now seems to be a branch of the French auto-maker, Renault, and all Dacias made in the past few years bear labels stating that the car is made “by Renault”. This may be partially responsible for the large number of new Renaults on Romanian roads. I almost wonder if Renault is planning to eventually harvest Dacia and take its market share.