It can be seen at first glance: today’s Dacias have hardly anything to do with how the brand used to be. Design wasn’t the Dacia brand’s forte when it experienced a renaissance 18 years ago. This has changed fundamentally over the years and especially recently. The ex-design director of Aston Martin is now responsible for the Dacia design.
Dacia used to be something like a “design-free zone”, as we have stated in one or the other test report. “The first generation of the Logan should above all be the cheapest new car on the market,” says Brit Miles Nürnberger, looking back to a time just before he was hired by Aston Martin Lagonda.Meanwhile, cheap is no longer the only driving force. people no longer want to sell cars solely on the basis of price. “Good design does not necessarily have to be expensive. Every day we encourage the team to think smart and develop intelligent technology that has value for the customer,” explains the head of Dacia’s design department. “The purpose of each model must be clear at first glance. The Duster is a ‘real’ off-road vehicle, the Jogger a ‘real’ family car. Dacia’s philosophy is to realize a very pragmatic vision of cars.” The difference with Aston Martin? “You have to have a pure, almost fundamental creative approach,” says Nürnberger. “Dacia is a challenge. You really have to be frugal. With Aston Martin you have a small investment but a high purchase price. With Dacia it is exactly the opposite. But that doesn’t make things any easier.” In fact, the youngest Dacia, the Jogger, looks particularly coherent. Visually, there is nothing cheap about it. “The success of a car design, the beauty of every object and every automobile depends above all on its proportions,” explains Nürnberger. But good design also requires appropriate technology. “With a longer wheelbase, larger wheel diameters pushed into the four corners and a wider track, using the new CMF-B platform offers new possibilities. This modern technical basis is essential for the new models in order to achieve harmonious and contemporary proportions.” The price level can no longer be seen in the design, but in the detail. No engine cover, seats that look good but provide little back support, lots of plastic in the interior. But this also makes the surfaces relatively insensitive. Which corresponds to one of the propagated brand values: “robustness”. In addition, there are “versatile applications” and “spaciousness in the interior”.Reduced to the essentialsThe equipment of modern cars has become extreme in some cases. Most of it would be too expensive for Dacia, but that doesn’t have to be a disadvantage. Many customers find it more comfortable when the ambiance is simple rather than lavish, with true analogue knobs and controls. Sometimes less is more. “It is not necessarily a natural mental attitude to banish all gimmicks and gadgets and concentrate on the essentials,” says Nürnberger. At Dacia, the designer is free from the dictates of ephemerality. Despite this, the aesthetics of the Dacia models move with the times, according to the designer. The headlights are now LEDs, the radio antenna is in the shape of a shark’s fin, the door handles are ‘fridge’ designs, etc. Just the bare essentials to keep it contemporary. The goal: timeless design “We’re talking about real design, not style , which goes out of fashion. That’s a good thing, because our customers keep their cars for a long time. You have to put the accent in the right place, where it’s visible to the customer, where it’s useful. Nothing else.” Simplicity leads to frugality, but also to lightness, ease of manufacture and repair. “Nobody likes something complicated. Less technology means less obsolescence and more reliability,” says the designer. Now, reliability only has to assert itself in the TÜV report and similar defect statistics. Then there are other reasons to buy a Dacia. Besides the design. And the price.
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