About Dacia
Dacia (IPA: ['da.ʧi.a]) is a Romanian car manufacturer. Currently is a subsidiary of Renault group.
History
The beginnings
Dacia started to cooperate with Renault in 1966 and the main Dacia factory was built in 1968, in ColibaÅŸi (now called Mioveni), near PiteÅŸti.
Dacia acquired the tooling and basic designs of Renault 12. However, until the tooling was ready it was decided to produce the Renault 8 under licence; it was known as the Dacia 1100. From 1968 to 1971, some 37,000 were produced, with a very minor cosmetic change to the front at the end of 1969. Also produced in very limited numbers was the 1100S, with twin headlamps and a more powerful engine, used by the police and in motor racing. None are thought to survive.
The first Dacia 1300 left the assembly line ready for the 23 August parade in 1969, and was exhibited at the Paris and Bucharest shows of that year. Romanians were delighted with the modernity and reliability of the car, and waiting lists were always lengthy. As early as 1970, there were several variants: the standard 1300, the 1300L (for Lux) and the 1301 Lux Super, which had novelties such as a heated rear screen, a radio, windscreen mirrors on both sides and a more luxurious trim. This was reserved for the Communist Party nomenklatura.
