Dacia Logo

A car factory for Romania

Dacia began as a government decision. In 1966 the Romanian state set out to build its own cars, signing a licence agreement with Renault to cut its reliance on imported cars. The factory at first went by the plain name UAP, short for Uzina de Autoturisme Pitești, the Pitești car plant.

It took two years to get going. The plant at Mioveni, just outside Pitești, was inaugurated on 20 August 1968, and that is the date Dacia itself uses: the brand says it was born in 1968. The name Dacia, chosen for marketing, has deep roots: in antiquity, Dacia was the land bounded by the Carpathian Mountains, largely corresponding to Transylvania in today’s Romania.

French cars with Romanian names

The first car out of Mioveni was a Renault 8, sold as the Dacia 1100. In 1969 came the Dacia 1300, a saloon derived from the Renault 12. It became the brand’s base model for nearly three decades, and the two became known as the cars that put Romania on wheels.

Dacia’s first fully in-house model, the Nova, only arrived in 1995. Four years later the story came full circle. In 1999 Renault took a controlling 51% stake in Dacia, raising it to 92.72% in 2001.

From shield to chain link

For years Dacias wore a shield-shaped badge. That changed on 17 June 2021, when Dacia revealed a new visual identity built by its own design team.

The new emblem is called the Dacia Link. It brings a D and a C together like two links of a chain, joined in what Dacia calls a strong, cohesive bond. According to Dacia UK, the designers looked to the things you find in a mechanic’s garage, such as gears, chains and tools, because they stand for robustness, reliability and function.

The wordmark got the same treatment. Its D and C are mirror images of each other, the closing strokes on the D and the A have gone, and the D is shaped like an arrow that pulls your eye to the centre. Dacia says the whole identity is about simplicity, authenticity and robustness. Design director David Durand put it more bluntly: the streamlined logo is highly symbolic of the brand’s focus on getting back to basics.

The cars came last. Orders for models with the new look opened on 16 June 2022. The Dacia Link now sits in the centre of the grille and on the hub caps, while the Dacia name is spelled out on the rear panel and the steering wheel. The public saw the finished cars at the Mondial de Paris in October 2022.

Khaki, terracotta and sand

Dacia built its new colour scheme around khaki green, chosen to evoke the brand’s closeness to nature and the outdoors. Earthy dark khaki, terracotta and sand sit alongside it, with bright orange and green adding a more technical touch.

The cars that put Romania on wheels

Dacia likes to talk about focusing on the essentials. These are the cars that shaped it.

Landmark Dacias, decade by decade

• 1968: Dacia 1100. The first car built at Mioveni, a Renault 8 sold under the Dacia name.
• 1969: Dacia 1300. Derived from the Renault 12, it stayed the brand’s base model for nearly three decades.
• 1995: Dacia Nova. The first fully in-house model from Pitești.
• 2004: Logan. Unveiled on 2 June 2004, the year Dacia launched across Europe and the Mediterranean.
• 2010: Duster. Dacia’s SUV, unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show.

Dacia is part of Renault Group, the same company whose licence started it all. If you like the story of carmakers from the former Eastern Bloc, have a look at Skoda and Lada too. For more on how badges like the Dacia Link come together, see how car logos are designed.

Frequently asked questions

What does the Dacia logo mean?

The emblem, called the Dacia Link, joins a D and a C like two links of a chain. Dacia describes it as a strong, cohesive bond, and its designers drew on garage objects such as gears, chains and tools.

When did Dacia change its logo?

Dacia revealed its new logo, emblem and colours on 17 June 2021. The cars started wearing the Dacia Link in 2022, with orders opening on 16 June that year.

What did the old Dacia logo look like?

Before the Dacia Link, the cars wore a shield-shaped badge.

Is Dacia owned by Renault?

Yes. Renault took a controlling 51% stake in 1999 and raised it to 92.72% in 2001. Dacia’s first cars, the 1100 and 1300, were based on the Renault 8 and Renault 12.

The Mioveni logbook

Founded

1968

Founder

Romanian state

Country

Romania

Headquarters

Mioveni, Romania

Parent company

Renault Group

Current emblem

The Dacia Link, a linked D and C, revealed in 2021 and on the cars from 2022

Known for

Simple, robust cars at a fair price

Website

Official website ↗