Duster SUV drives Dacia 's business up 40% to 3 billion euros in 2010

Dacia's output went up by almost 15% to 340,000 vehicles last year, the all time high reached by the Mioveni-based plant, 10,000 cars more than the latest estimates.

The year 2010 was the sixth year of consecutive output growth of Automobile Dacia to more than 340,000 vehicles, 15% higher than last year, sources close to the company say. Under the circumstances, Dacia 's turnover reached 3 billion euros, according to ZF's calculations, over 40% higher than the previous year, matching Petrom's, the biggest company on the local market, in 2009. The faster growth in turnover compared with output was because of the launch of the Duster SUV, whose average price is double a Logan 's or Sandero's.

Dacia's output increase came at a time when the European automotive market fell by more than 5% in 2010, as a result of the crisis and completion of scrappage schemes on markets such as Germany .

" Dacia is one of the most important companies to have significantly contributed to the exports of the local market and to the trade balance. One must not also overlook the fact that it is a major asset for Romania 's image drawing attention to other products made in this country," said financial analyst Aurelian Dochia.

At the same time, Dacia 's exports overshot the 2.5 billion-euro mark last year, almost 7% of the total value of Romania 's exports in 2010, which allows it to remain the top exporter, with about 300,000 cars.