Dacia

With the unveiling of its new Duster compact off-roader in Switzerland this week, Dacia now offers a six-model range. Thanks to an unbeatable cocktail of price, space and equipment, in recent times, the brand has appealed to thrifty drivers in every country in which the brand is on sale.

Dacia has already taken many markets by storm within months of launch, so the arrival of the new value brand in the UK, is certain to shake up the market. Just as a guide to how competitive the new models could be when they come to the UK, the new compact off-roader, Duster, will sell from just 11,900 euros in 4x2 guise (around £10,800 based on a 1.10 exchange rate) in Europe at launch.

Originally intended largely for emerging markets, the first completely new Dacia model was the first 5,000 euro car, the Logan saloon. However, following an unpredecented clamour for its release in Western Europe too, the four-door model and its subsequent siblings have gone on to become arguably the biggest motor industry success story of the last decade.

In fact, 2009 was Dacia's fifth consecutive year of double-digit growth, having more than tripled sales from 100,000 to 311,874 over the last five years alone. In Europe particularly, even against a gloomy automotive industry backdrop, Dacia posted an impressive 91 per cent sales increase in 2009. Canny French and German buyers topped the list of export markets, snapping up more than 150,000 versions of the Dacia range alone (Sandero hatchback and Logan family: saloon, MCV - seven-seat estate, pick-up and van) just last year, making the Romanian marque a top-ten brand in France in the process.

With right-hand drive production of Duster now confirmed for 2012, plans have been confirmed to make the UK the final piece of the key European vehicle market jigsaw.