Dacia celebrates first birthday in the UK, with exceptional sales.

2013 might have been a turning point for the economy, but cost-conscious Brits, from all classes, continued to make their money work harder than ever. With old school “value for money” sweeping the high street, 12 months ago, one fledgling brand, Dacia, embarked on its mission to shake up the UK car industry with its unique take on “shockingly affordable” motoring.

And what a record-breaking year it’s been. Western European buyers have been snapping up Dacias in their thousands for years. But, because of their stunning success, aside from “eye spy” Dacia spots in sunnier climes, like typical Brits, while the French and Germans, among others, eagerly filled their boots, we’d queued up patiently to see what all the fuss was about. All that changed on 17th January, as the Duster and Sandero burst onto the scene. Literally. On that day, the ‘Dacia don’t do frivolity. You Do The Maths’ media campaign hit every media channel, and all main Dacia Retailers had their first Duster SUV and Sandero supermini demonstrator cars available.

Right up until launch, the word on the street and the internet was that there was no way the brand’s bullish aim of offering a new supermini for “significantly less than £7,000”, let alone a spacious, family SUV for “under £10,000” would stack up in the real world. Or, at least with them making a profit. Oh, how wrong they were. With customers queueing up at its showrooms in their droves, awards pouring in, plus two more new models up its sleeve for release later in the year, Dacia fast became the envy of many established rivals right from the start.

Much of it didn’t come as a huge surprise to parent company, Renault. The Dacia brand, already the darling of the automotive industry, continues to ride the crest of a wave. Bucking the trend in many countries with falling sales and ever-decreasing profit margins, it had cleverly carved out its own niche, filling a void left behind by other brands who had their hearts set on becoming more upmarket.  

Of course, plenty of us had already seen Dacias and the brand’s value phenomenon sweep across Europe and the Euromed. But, for most, aside from the inimitable James May’s obsession with the brand, this was their first chance to see, touch and drive them for themselves.

The brand came to the UK with one mission. To shake up the long stagnant new and used UK car markets by offering “shockingly affordable” vehicles with high levels of quality and unrivalled space and equipment for the money. A car from one class for the price of the one below if you like. Or, in the case of Duster, two below. And boy, did the Great British public grasp the concept. With both hands.

Amidst a publicity blitz in true ‘break the rules’ style at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July 2012, surrounded by some of the finest supercars and most valuable classic cars the world has to offer, Dacia brazenly slapped “from £8,995” decals on the side of its Duster SUV and set about offering the eager British public their first taste of what it had to offer. Less than hour into the event, unprecedented demand meant extra staff had to be drafted in to help on the stand and the waiting list grew longer and longer for those desperate to get behind the wheel.

While plenty of other car marques struggled, with a winning combination of attractive models, impressive quality and straightforward pricing, Dacia already boasted 5,000 orders for its Duster SUV and Sandero within just eight weeks of them arriving in showrooms in January.

In April and May, it put the cat amongst the pigeons with two more milestones. First, it confirmed prices for its Volvo-estate load-rivalling Logan MCV (Maximum Capacitiy Vehicle). A steal from just £6,995, it continues to undercut anything close by thousands of pounds. Then in May, the chunky Sandero Stepway supermini crossover hit UK showrooms, from only £7,995.

And the success didn’t end there. The brand immediately hit the awards trail, driving off with some of the most prestigious titles in the car industry. In its first year. Even before most had even seen one, Duster picked up the overall Scottish Car of the Year trophy, while its smaller sibling, Sandero followed up the SUV’s success, by snaffling “Best Budget Car” several months later. The new car buyers’ bible, What Car?, wasn’t slow to spot the brand’s potential either. In only its launch month it honoured Sandero with “Best Supermini under £12,000”. Among other noteworthy trophies throughout the year were several for Duster’s 4x4 and towing abilities, including Caravan Club and Towcar, plus a hat-trick from Carbuyer.co.uk, including Car of the Year, for its “sensational value”.

In pure sales terms, the figures speak for themselves in 2013:

• Dacia - the fastest growing car brand in UK, overall and in retail
• The most successful UK car brand launch in retail ever (based on initial 12 months sales)
• 17,146 sales with a market share of 0.76% - with only two models initially (Duster and Sandero). Sandero Stepway arrived in May and Logan MCV in September 
• With a full four-model line up in the final four months of the year it outsold brands like Mazda and Volvo in retail
• 96.7% of Dacia sales are in the retail market where it has a share of 1.4%

So, the best-selling Dacia in 2013 was? Unsurprisingly, given its unrivalled price, size and 4x4 versions, Duster led the way with 7,830 sales. Following not far behind was the all-new Sandero. Offering supermini levels of space for city car cash, unsurprisingly, the “UK’s most affordable new car”, went down a storm, finding 5,025 homes. Both got chased down rapidly by Sandero Stepway too, after its launch in May, with 3,770 sales. The last one to join the “shockingly affordable” fold, the load-swallowing Logan MCV estate, notched up 521 in its initial 14 weeks in showrooms.

The omens aren’t looking too shabby so far for Dacia in 2014 either. Funny that. Having sold more than 17,000 cars in 2013, with an ever-growing fanbase and four models available to tempt British buyers for the full year, it’s setting its sights on smashing that figure this year.

Nine decades of Bentleys to race at Donnington in June

On Saturday, June 7^th 2014, Donington Park will reverberate to the unmistakable sound of Bentley engines spanning nine decades, as Bentleys of all ages come together in a unique one-marque race.

This spectacular sight of the iconic British marque at the legendary British circuit celebrates the 90^thanniversary of Bentley’s first win at Le Mans and is being staged by the Bentley Drivers Club (BDC) at the AMOC Donington race meeting.

Already a tradition at the BDC annual race meeting at Silverstone, models spanning the decades will be out on track together for a 20-minute scratch race at Donington Park, a favourite circuit of racing legends and spectators alike.  The sight and sound of Bentleys just a few months old hurtling towards Redgate or weaving their way round the Craner Curvers side by side with Bentleys old enough to be their grandparents - or even great-grandparents - is sure to be one race that fans will never forget.

Showcasing the racing heritage and diversity of the marque, this is a fabulous opportunity to witness some simultaneous open- and closed-wheel racing, with speed differentials equivalent to that at Le Mans between the prototypes and GT touring cars, as 3-litres, 3/4½s, 3/8’s, 4½s, Derbys, Mark VI Specials, the explosive 24-litre Bentley Napier and the Worthington brothers’ Mulsanne Turbo and technicolour Continental GT demonstrate their paces.

Duncan Wiltshire, Race Co-Ordinator for AMOC Racing, said “AMOC Racing are delighted that the Bentley Drivers Club will be racing at the AMOC Donington race meeting. Given the warm relations between the Aston Martin Owners Club and the Bentley Drivers Club over many decades, the Bentley race is a most fitting and welcome addition to our programme, which includes races for the AMOC Intermarque Championship, 50s Sports Cars and ‘Equipe’ GTs.”

Bentley Drivers Club Competitions Captain Sebastian Welch added, “The BDC is a comparatively small club, and organising a one-marque race at another race meeting is a significant achievement. We are thrilled to be celebrating the 90^th anniversary of the first Bentley Le Mans win in this way with an extra race, and would like to thank AMOC Racing for inviting us to stage the race at AMOC Donington. We are sure it will prove hugely enjoyable for competitors and spectators.”

Nissan celebrates 80 years with new concepts.

“Co-creation” is the bridge to the next generation of vehicles to be developed in collaboration with the next generation of customers

On the 80th anniversary of Nissan's founding, a forward-thinking group of Nissan planners, engineers and designers gathered to grapple with a question: "How can we leverage Nissan’s heritage of innovation to engage digital natives — the new generation of ‘user innovators’ who value the experience of creative collaboration at least as much as actual products?"

One solution lay in the promise of creating attractive new products by proactively interacting with next-generation customers. In turn, this led to a new development framework in which Nissan could engage with young digital natives in building a new kind of relationship — a new, progressive way of making cars.

A New Take on Nissan’s “Innovation & Excitement for Everyone”

The bywords of the Nissan brand are innovation and excitement. Conventionally interpreted, this suggests that Nissan's innovations spark excitement by delivering, for example, responsive acceleration and tight handling. But excitement can also fuel innovation, particularly when it is the excitement of working with like-minded people on topics you care passionately about.

For digital natives — those born after 1990 — touchscreens and social connectivity are taken for granted. Not satisfied with the passive consumer role, they want to be part of the story. In user communities they share information and take an active part in finding creative solutions. Modifying electronic devices or using IT to communicate and interact with others is exciting and emotionally rewarding for them. It makes their interests even more rewarding for them personally, much as it did with previous generations and their own contemporary technologies.

This insight pointed the way forward: Nissan could appeal to digital natives by delivering on the promise of “Innovation and Excitement for Everyone” in a whole new way. To offer a new take on the product development process, Nissan offered a space for digital natives to participate in product creation. Their desire to change things and create new value could be activated not just in the technology sphere but in making cars. The way forward was tofind a way to involve them in the monozukuri story of making things and exposing them to fun and innovative ways of imagining cars.

Francois Bancon, division general manager of Product Strategy and Product Planning at Nissan puts it this way:

“We have always valued and respected customer input and sought to exceed customer expectations. Now we are taking this into a new dimension by having customers who are passionate about Nissan participate in the development process with collaborative creation. As members of the development team, customers will work together with specialists to co-create a new generation of Nissan vehicles that reflect our customers’ desires, insights and creativity at a more profound level than ever before.”

The Time is Right for a New Approach

Visitors to a motor show expect to see cars — provocative concepts, groundbreaking prototypes and bewitching new models. But as it commemorates its 80th birthday Nissan is daring to not just create cars, but involve talented members of the public in a whole new way of creating new cars. Nissan calls it "co-creation" — collaborative creativity applied to the process of developing new automobiles.

Why now? From creating artistic clothing designs to tackling global challenges, the Internet enables people to share ideas and participate in group projects through online communities. Professionals work with novices and academics. The one thing that ties them together is a passion for creative problem solving.

Looking at the big picture, these trends add up to a growing interest in Do-It-Yourself and fascination with the process of collaborative creation. The time is right to bring participative innovation to automotive design and engineering.

The Co-creation Process: How it Works

Up to now, vehicle development seemed a closed, specialist-only process. The advent of co-creation now blurs the line between producer and consumer. It starts with Nissan inviting passionate individuals to join the development team. A project begins with a topic or theme. Then the co-creation community, comprising Nissan and customers, rethinks everything — from the primary question of how the vehicle will be used to the car’s “personality.” The next stage is joint development of styling and engineering. Finally, Nissan manufactures the car. With co-creation, customers get an opportunity to interact with other passionate likeminded people and creative professionals. Through this exciting collaborative process they give birth to something great that is also meaningful to them on a personal level.

For the Tokyo Motor Show, Nissan is exhibiting two show cars, IDx NISMO and IDx Freeflow, as examples of the kind of output one could look forward to in an actual co-creation scenario incorporating the values of digital natives. Both cars have the same starting point – a generic platform that is easy to understand; it stimulates people to indulge their sense of play and gives free rein to their imagination.

The two show cars give a glimpse of how co-creation can generate completely different solutions depending on the theme and participants, while building off the same base. This is a flexible platform that allows diverse customers to contribute their ideas and realise their ideals, thanks to its relative simplicity and solid performance.

For Shiro Nakamura, Nissan’s senior vice president and chief creative officer, co-creation means exciting new possibilities for vehicle design.

“Nissan is recognised as a true pioneer in automotive design and is still creating whole new product genres. By reaching out to digital natives as collaborators in our vehicle design, we are looking to the future. They sense the purity of Nissan’s history and how the value we create transcends the times. The two IDx concepts have the silhouette of plain sedans. This elegance in simplicity is something Nissan rediscovered through our dynamic interaction with digital natives. We hope that this collaboration will reveal fertile new frontiers of vehicle styling for future exploration.”

Both concept cars on display use the same basic body construction, but appear to be completely different due to the divergent creative themes and the originality inculcated by the participating members of each team. With a product development process that

stresses flexibility, each platform becomes a springboard of expressing new ideas for collaborative communities, enabling an ideal to be realised in concrete form.

Forging a New Relationship between Nissan and Customers

For digital natives, the co-creation experience adds “cars” to the things which can stimulate their creativity. This fresh approach to collaborative work enables car lovers to help shape automotive development by combining their enthusiasm with the expertise accumulated by automotive experts. The result is not just vehicles that are relevant and optimised for future customers. By opening up the product development that had, until now, been limited to specialists, Nissan is building new relationships with its customers.

Looking ahead, Nissan is only at the beginning of its engagement with a variety of communities to stimulate and harness collective creativity… there is much more to come.