Dacia Logan

Designed at Renault’s Technocentre near Paris, the Logan was the end result after four years of development of Project X90, announced by Renault in 1999 after the buyout of Dacia in 1998.

During a visit to Russia by French President Jacques Chirac, Louis Schweitzer noted that at Lada and Renault dealerships the €6,000 Ladas were selling very well, while the €12,000 Renaults stayed in the showroom. "Seeing those antiquated cars, I found it unacceptable that technical progress should stop you making a good car for €6,000." (He later revised this target to €5,000). "I also drew up a list of specifications in three words – modern, reliable and affordable – and added that everything else was negotiable."[citation needed] However, the cheapest version of the car is priced at almost €6,000, and can reach €10,700, depending on equipment and customs duty (the base model for Western Europe, where it is badged as a Dacia but generally sold in Renault dealerships, is somewhat more expensive). As it was designed from the outset as an affordable car, the Logan has many simplified features to keep costs low.

The car replaces many older cars in production, including the Romanian Dacia 1310 series of Renault 12-based cars.

It was officially launched in 2004. Renault originally had no plans to sell Logan in Western Europe, but began importing a more expensive version of the car in June 2005, starting at around €7,000. It became an unexpected success with people wanting an inexpensive, no frills car they could repair themselves. The Logan was launched in India in April 2007 as a collaboration with Mahindra, who helped Renault cut costs by 15%. India was the first right hand drive market for the Logan. It was almost an instant success with impressive sales in the first few months and is the best-selling car in its class.