All posts by Francis Mitterrand

News

2024 Dacia Duster

The end of 2023 is approaching, when Dacia will premiere the third generation of Dacia Duster. This news will certainly please the enthusiasts of the Romanian brand, which recently celebrated the record of 8 million vehicles sold worldwide.

Dacia Duster on the European market has seen a growth in demand with more than 197,000 units delivered and over 2 million in the last 13 years, making it the company’s best-selling SUV. Dacia’s best-selling car in Europe is the Sandero.

The manufacturer has not yet announced the official date of the premiere, and some sources state that it could be November 29 when Dacia will present its long-term plans. The company has big ambitions to expand its business by entering the New Zealand and Australian markets.

The new generation of Duster should bring a lot of technological innovations but also a new design. It will be built on the modern CMF-B platform, will have a new front fascia and will be longer (4.4 – 4.5 meters) than its predecessor, which gives much more space for passengers. Some rumors say that Dacia could optionally offer more luxurious equipment such as a panoramic sunroof, a large touchscreen, a 360-degree parking camera and an electrically adjustable driver’s seat.

The new Dacia Duster, for the European market, will be powered by a 1.2 3-cylinder MHEV engine with 130 hp (97 kW), paired with a manual transmission. From 2025, a 4×4 LPG gasoline engine should arrive, and a stronger 1.3-liter turbo gasoline engine paired with an automatic transmission.

When it comes to price, the current Duster costs 16,000 euros, but it can be expected that the new generation will be somewhat more expensive (around 22,000 euros) due to increased production costs.

Source: Dacia, Kolesa

News

BMW terminates contract with VDL causing 2,000 job losses

The global car market is in crisis, although some companies are recording positive sales results. Many companies try to reduce costs by laying off workers or shutting down production in some factories, this primarily applies to large European manufacturers such as BMW, which terminated the contract with the Dutch VDL Nedcar (part of VDL Groep) causing the loss of 2,000 jobs.

VDL factory in the Netherlands

The VDL Nedcar factory started production in 1967 and since then has produced cars for Volvo, Smart, Mitsubishi, BMW and Mini. It is the only large car factory in the Netherlands with an annual production capacity of up to 200,000 cars. However, now due to the loss of the contract with BMW, which also includes the assembly of some Mini cars, they are forced to gradually lay off most of the workforce.

CEO of VDL Nedcar John van Soerland said that the company is currently in a difficult situation but will make an extra effort to attract new customers. From March 2024, Nedcar will retain only 450 employees to work on prototypes for potential new customers and finalize contractual obligations with BMW.

“We remain fully committed to making VDL Nedcar stronger in the future,” said van Soerland.

Source: VDL Nedcar

Auctions

1970 Porsche 911E Targa is up for auction

Between 1969 and 1973, Porsche produced the 911E Targa with fuel injection, which succeeded the Porsche 911F. About 4,600 cars left the production lines and one of them, the 1970 Porsche 911E Targa, is up for auction.

This 911E Targa is powered by an overhauled 2.2-liter flat-six with dual carburetors. The engine is paired with a rebuilt 901 five-speed manual transaxle that sends power to the rear wheels. It is mounted on Fuchs 15″ wheels wrapped in 195/65 Vredestein Sportrac 5 tires.

The car was repainted in Conda Green, properly maintained and is in good condition. It is equipped with a driver-side mirror, a Targa removable roof panel, Euro-style headlights, a split rear bumper with bumper guards, replacement quarter panels, rocker panels, and floor pans, and Bilstein shocks at the rear. The current owner bought the car in 2021 at BaT and then the aftermarket auxiliary lights were removed and a replacement tachometer, interior components, and badges were installed.

Inside, the seats are covered in black vinyl with patterned cloth inserts. Black vinyl also covers the rear bench seat and dash. In front of the driver is a leather-wrapped steering wheel and a five-digit odometer showing 24,988 miles (total mileage is unknown).

Porsche 911E Targa comes with a Porsche Certificate of Authenticity, manufacturer’s literature, a tool kit, several keys, service records, and a clean Connecticut title in the seller’s name.

The auction ends on November 10 and the highest bid at the time of writing was USD$50,000.

Source: Bring a Trailer

Gallery:

1970 Porsche 911E Targa is up for auction