Renault to phase out rebadged Dacias in Russia

Renault Group’s core Renault brand will stop selling Dacia derivatives in markets such as Russia and Brazil in a bid to go upmarket. The automaker rebadges Dacia cars such as the Logan sedan and Sandero hatchback as Renaults in markets outside of Europe

Renault’s design chief, Laurens van den Acker, said the practice will be phased out.

“My goal is to have a global Renault lineup,” van den Acker said on the sidelines of the Moscow auto show last week. Some Renaults are derivatives of Dacias. “I want that to stop,” he said.

Renault debuted the Arkana coupe-styled crossover in Moscow, which showed how the brand’s lineup will move toward vehicles developed by Renault even though they will continue to share key parts with Dacia models.

The Arkana is the second standalone Renault after the Kaptur compact SUV to be designed with emerging markets in mind and will go on sale Russia early next year. Like the Kaptur, the car is built on a version of Renault and Dacia’s budget B0 platform but is more sophisticated.

Van den Acker said that plans to replace the Logan and Sandero with Renault models would happen after the Dacia-badged cars been overhauled in Europe, without giving a timeframe. In Europe, the models will continue to be sold as Dacias.

The Duster would likely remain in Renault lineups globally, he said. The Duster “is the only exception – it’s one of our best-selling cars,” he said.