VIDEO: Dacia Duster Commercial Redefines “Insulting” [NSFW]

This here commercial for Dacia's low-cost Duster SUV is the work of Dutch advertising company Artcore. We should warn you that the ad is a 1 minute and 46 second parade of almost continuous swearing. While we can appreciate some over-the-top creations, we just can’t see this ever airing, at least not during daytime hours. But even if the commercial somehow made it on your TV set, we doubt that this is what Dacia wants to promote.

The commercial has been labeled as “banned” by various internet sources, but it seems to have been produced to showcase a radical idea, rather than to be purpose driven advertisement. The foul-mouthed clip is available right after the break.

By Csaba Daradics

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Romanian Tuning Firm Drops the Top on Dacia Logan

For the time being, Dacia's parent company Renault doesn't seem to have any solid plans to further expand the range of its low-cost Logan subcompact, but that hasn't stopped tuning companies from creating their own unique proposals.

Enter the world of Auto K9, a tuning house based in Romania. The company has just presented its latest creation in the form of a one-off Dacia Logan Convertible study based on the sedan model.

Aside from chopping the roof, the tuning firm also removed the rear doors and extended the front ones. From what we understand, the car doesn't come with a top of any sorts.

Other touches include a bodykit, chunky alloy wheels and a customized interior swathed in white leather plus a high-end audio system.

Source: 4Tuning [Hat tip to Valentin]

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Renault Inaugurates New Vehicle Test Center in Romania

The Renault Group has opened a brand new test facility in Titu, Romania. Built on a 330-hectare site located between the Dacia plant in Pitesti and the Renault Technologie Roumanie (RTR) engineering center in Bucharest, the Titu Technical Center will complement the company's Aubevoye and Lardy test centers in France.

According to Renault, the new facility will focus on testing for vehicles and powertrain components from the B0 platform that underpins the low-cost Dacia Logan.

The center is said to have 100 benches for testing vehicles and components such as shock absorbers, running gear and powertrains. The benches can simulate extreme conditions, testing the ability to withstand cold, and simulating sunlight, rain, and other situations.

In addition, the center has ten types of tracks including a speed circuit, uneven road surfaces, an underbody impact zone and wading troughs, which make up a total length of 32 km or about 20 miles.

Renault said the first teams arrived at the Romanian facility in June 2010, and the workforce will increase to 300 people before the end of the year. The first track tests are planned for October 2010.

VIDEO: Dacia / Renault Worker Tries to Fix Door Problem at Production Line

[Update: Some of our readers pointed out that one or more workers seen in the video appear to talk in Russian, so it's obviously Renault's factory in Moscow]

Here's a short clip from Dacia's Romanian factory (unless we're mistaken and it's from one of Renault's other plants that also produce Dacia models), showing a worker on the production line trying to fix a problem with the passenger-side doors on what looks to be a Sandero hatchback.

The poor guy tries everything; from repeatedly tapping the locks with a hammer and slamming the doors in numerous ways to even trying to pull the door down, but nothing seems to be working as the doors simply refuse to close properly. Watch the video after the break.

Dacia Duster Small SUV Photographed Inside and Out in Public

The new economy 4x4 model from Dacia, the Duster, has been photographed during what appears to be some kind of dealer presentation in its home market in Romania. While the Renault Group published a few exterior shots of the Duster back in December, this is the first time we get to see how the small SUV's interior looks like.

As you can see for yourselves in the gallery after the jump, the Duster's dashboard bears a strong resemblance to the Nissan Qashqai (albeit with previous generation Renault switchgear).

The five-seater model, which makes uses of the same platform found on the Dacia Logan, measures 4.31 metres in length and 1.82 metres in width.

When it goes on sale in Europe this Spring, buyers will be able to choose from three engine options, a 1.6-liter petrol engine in 110hp and 85hp guises, or a 105hp dCi diesel powerplant, all available with two-wheel or four-wheel drive.

The four-wheel drive system that is borrowed from Nissan has three different driving modes - Auto, which splits front/rear torque according to grip; Lock, whereby 50 per cent of torque is consistently fed through the rear axle and 4x2 where the transmission is locked into two-wheel drive.

Photos via: Daciaclub - Kudos to Dan for the tip

Too Much of a Stretch? Dacia Logan MCV Limousine

When you think about stretch limos, we sincerely doubt that Dacia is among the brands that come to mind. Still, that hasn't deterred some folks from building one off the Logan MCV, a crossover version of the Renault-Nissan alliance's Romanian low-cost sedan. Details are thin on the project but in the extremely rare case you have nothing else better to do, there's a bunch of computer generated drawings of the interior after the jump.

Source: Daciaclub , Via: Vudu84

Dacia Sandero Stepway: New Small Crossover Revealed in Barcelona

The Barcelona Auto Show saw Renault's low-cost Romanian brand, Dacia swiping off the covers from the Sandero Stepway, a small hatchback with raised ground clearance but no all-wheel drive system as the crossover retains the standard Sandero's front-wheel drive layout. If the Sandero Stepway reminds you of another model, give yourself a pat on the back because it's essentially the European version of the South American market, Renault Sandero Stepway - 'oui', the French automaker didn't even bother changing names.

The Stepway features a 20mm higher road clearance than the conventional Sandero hatchback while cosmetic upgrades include black and body-colored bumpers housing front and rear skid-plates, new fog lamps and roofbars plus protective cladding around the wheel arches and satin-finish chrome rocker panels, exterior mirrors and door handles.

While we don't have any photos of the interior, Dacia claims in its press release that the Stepway benefits from specific black upholstery with visible white stitching and revised trim.

Depending on the market, the Sandero Stepway will be available with a 90HP 1.6-liter petrol and a 70HP 1.5-liter dCi diesel engine. Sales of Dacia's new model will begin in most European countries this September.