They don't say how many orders have been taken (although Mike Gale of Renault recently told us Dacia had taken 4300 pre-orders in 2012) but have 1400 Dusters en route to dealerships and 660 on the road.
More are being delivered every month but Dacia simply can't make them fast enough and are prioritising based on a first come first served basis. Their problem is matching certain trim levels with what customers have ordered. Dacia predicted the Laureate trim would make up 50% of sales - maybe they got that wrong.
If you've got a spare £10,000 and manage to get hold of a Duster in the next few weeks it might make for a wise short term investment. Residuals are already holding up. The used market has a handful of Dusters with 1000 or 2000 miles on the clock that are selling for the same price as a new car with a handful of options.
With customer demand mounting, and supply failing to match it, nearly new examples might start to attract a premium over the next few months. This phenomenon happened in the early days of the BMW Mini and happens every now and again when a popular model hits the market.
Dacia said on their Facebook page:
Hello. We’re very sorry that we've been unable to provide accurate information about the delivery dates for Dacia Duster. Demand from all countries has been extremely high and we've simply not been able to build them quickly enough to keep up.
We have around 1,400 Dusters now with us in the UK that are either at our import centre or en route to Dacia retailers across the country. In addition, 660 Dusters have now been delivered to customers and are on UK roads. Further shipments of Duster are set to arrive in the UK every month and we are working around the clock to ensure we meet the great demand for our cars.
Some of you have expressed concerns about the priority of your order. The priority system works by allocating vehicles on a first come, first served basis according to the exact version and specification ordered. But, demand on certain specifications has been exceptionally high and this has exceeded expectations. Therefore, a customer who ordered a particular specification and colour may take delivery before a customer who has ordered another combination, regardless of when the order was made.
We do have certain versions of Duster available straight away. If you are interested in one of these, please contact your chosen Dacia retailer who will talk you through the options.
We’re providing our Dacia Retailers with regular updates as we receive the latest delivery information, so your local Dacia Retailer is your best point contact for all enquires.
Thanks, Dacia
