Dacia one step closer to Australia

Australian new-car buyers could soon be spoilt for choice, with new evidence suggesting Dacia is gearing up for a local launch in the future.

Trademark filings uncovered by Wheels show the business names Dacia Australia and Automobile Dacia Australia have been registered by Renault Vehicle Distributors Australia.

As part of Ateco Group – the company responsible for importing Ram, LDV, and Maserati vehicles – RVDA took over responsibility of importing Renaults from April 2021, and with it, the rights to Alpine and Dacia.

While Alpine is now the performance division for French manufacturer Renault, taking the place of Renault Sport in May, Dacia is the company’s cut-price car brand. It has been gaining fans in Europe for its fun and value-for-money line-up, including former Top Gear host James May.

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2022 Dacia Bigster Truck concept by KDesign AG.

Romania-built Dacia vehicles are already sold in similar right-hand-drive markets such as New Zealand and South Africa, where they’re sold with a Renault badge. However, the trademark filings help to solidify industry rumours of the Dacia brand being offered in Australia as a new manufacturer.

As Ateco has yet to formally confirm its future in Australia, it’s not known whether Dacia will share showroom space with Renault dealerships throughout the country or if its models will be offered online to help keep costs low.

There’s no indication yet of which cars we can expect if the regulatory hurdles are overcome, but given half of Dacia’s current line-up is ageing – and Europe’s hardline push for zero-emission vehicles – it’s possible the carmaker could be positioned as a cut-price electric vehicle brand to compete against Cupra.