Today, the Dacia brand is an established part of the European car market and its models are becoming bestsellers. In Spain, the Sandero was the best-selling new car in 2023, in France and Italy it is in the top 3. The new Duster promises to be a bestseller in 2024. The successful comeback of the Dacia brand began 20 years ago. We look back at the first Logan.
Named after the Roman province in what is now Romania, Dacia was founded in 1966 and initially built the Renault 8 and from 1969 the Renault 12 under licence. Restricted to the markets of the former Eastern Bloc, the saloon mutated into the 1310 after the end of the licence, which remained in production until 2004. In 1995, Dacia launched the Nova as a new model series based on the Peugeot 309.
Gallery: Dacia Logan (2004-2013)
In 1998, Renault finally bought Dacia, after having been unsuccessful with Skoda years earlier. The impetus for the development of the Logan came from a visit to Russia by French President Jacques Chirac. There, the then Renault CEO Louis Schweitzer realised that the €6,000 Ladas were selling very well at the Lada and Renault dealerships, while the €12,000 Renaults were standing in the showrooms.
Schweitzer: "When I saw these outdated cars, I found it unacceptable that technical progress was preventing the production of a good car for 6,000 euros." He later even corrected this target to €5,000.
The first-generation Logan was designed at Renault's Technocentre near Paris and was the result of a four-year development phase of the so-called X90 project. Incidentally, it is unclear where the name Logan comes from. It is presumed that the word "Lo" is related to "Low" because of "Low Cost".
The Logan was created on a blank sheet of paper, with the price being a fundamental limitation for marketing. From start to finish, the "design to cost" method, which was completely new in the automotive industry at the time, was applied. In other words, the car was not supposed to be a beauty, but as cheap as possible.
The specifications for the X90, aka Logan, were not only based on economic decisions, but also on reliability. It had to withstand any climate and any road, from the cobblestones of Romania to the tracks of the Sahara. It also had to be able to run on low-quality petrol. As there are hardly any garages in the least industrialised countries, the car also had to be able to withstand very long periods without inspection.
The engines (naturally aspirated petrol engines with 1.2, 1.4 and 1.6 litre displacement (some with optional LPG), later also a 1.5-litre diesel) and the gearbox (JH) were not modern, but tried and tested. In addition, everything had to be easy to repair.
The first Dacia Logan was based on the then new B platform of the Renault-Nissan Alliance, which was introduced with the Nissan Cube I and the Nissan Micra K12 and later adopted in the Renault Modus and the Renault Clio III. It was an extended wheelbase version of this platform, known as the B0, which allowed the vehicle's interior space to be maximised. The first body to be launched was a 4.25 metre long saloon with the internal code name L907.
For the Dacia Logan, the developers drew on the Renault group's parts bin. It had the front axle of the Clio II and the rear axle of the Modus. The door handles, steering wheel, steering, rev counter and rear brakes were taken from the Clio II, while the air vents came from the Dacia Solenza. The controls, brake fluid reservoir and expansion tank come from the Megane II, the ashtray and some air vents from the Espace IV and the gear knob from the Espace III.
The ABS system was taken from the Megane II, the gearbox from the Megane II and Laguna II and the engine from the Kangoo. Examples of design savings: the aerial positioned at the front in order to be able to use a passive (cheaper) model and save on wiring, the use of identical parts on the left and right side of the car, such as the side mouldings or the rear-view mirrors.
Or the casting of a one-piece dashboard instead of five (which is the traditional process) to reduce the number of moulds and operations, or the low curvature of the front and rear windows.
The Logan was initially produced in Romania, where the successor to the Solenza was sold under the Dacia brand name from autumn 2004. In the following weeks, the Logan was also launched in neighbouring countries (Central Europe, Turkey), and from mid-2005 also in Algeria, Morocco, Western Europe, Russia and Colombia. It later became a global model with many names: Nissan Aprio, Renault Tondar 90 or even Mahindra Verito.
However, the €5,000 target was not quite met. In Romania, the Logan started at €6,280. In Germany, it went on sale from mid-2005 with adapted safety equipment (two airbags and ABS) from around €7,200. This made the Logan one of the cheapest new cars in its class in Germany. In Austria, it was offered from €7,960 including VAT.
In February 2006, Dacia presented the Logan Steppe Concept, a study that anticipated the later Logan MCV estate, which was launched on the market in 2007. It was accompanied by a van called the Van and a pick-up.
Dacia Logan Van
Dacia Logan Pick-Up
Dacia Logan MCV
In July 2008, a revised version of the Logan saloon was launched on the market. The model, which is modelled on the Dacia Sandero, only includes visual touch-ups, while the technology remains unchanged. The front was given larger headlights and a wider radiator grille with a new Dacia logo, which included a chrome trim strip in the two more expensive versions.
There was also a new bumper and a wider air intake in the new front apron. The boot lid was modified and a tear-off edge was added. The rear lights and the bumper were also modified. The highest equipment line also featured a chrome moulding at the rear.
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In summer 2010, sales of the notchback saloon were discontinued in Germany due to ever decreasing demand, and the Logan was replaced by the second generation in 2013. The saloon is now in its third generation worldwide and not without success. Around two million units have been sold since 2004.
In the meantime, the first Logan generation has become quite rare in countries such as Germany, but is still affordable. Why not get one now for cheap and let it mature into a classic car? Why not? After all, the first Neo-Dacia is a similar milestone in mass production as a Ford Model T or VW Beetle.