Dacia’s Mioveni factory is not expected to close, but Romania could gradually lose production volumes, vehicle variants and future Dacia projects as Renault weighs where to build its next models, according to an AEI analysis reported by AGERPRES.
The key risk is not an abrupt exit by Dacia from Romania, but the allocation of new generations and platforms. The current Duster and the Dacia Bigster are built at Mioveni, where Renault already has an established supplier base, trained workforce and manufacturing investment. However, a plant can lose strategic weight without being shut down if future volumes or major products are moved elsewhere.
AEI points to higher labor and energy costs, as well as concerns over fiscal predictability, as factors that could weaken Mioveni’s position against Renault’s plant in Bursa, Turkey. After accounting for logistics to Western Europe, the analysis estimates that the cost gap could be around €200 to €250 per vehicle. These are not Renault internal figures, but even that margin becomes significant across several hundred thousand cars.
The 2027 to 2029 period could therefore be important for the Romanian site, as Renault-Dacia prepares decisions on upcoming platforms and model programs. Winning those allocations would secure activity for years, while losing them could reduce Mioveni’s output without a single announcement marking the start of that decline.
Chinese automakers’ expanding interest in European manufacturing adds another potential variable. The Ford-Geely precedent in Valencia illustrates how Chinese brands can seek production capacity inside Europe, though there is no confirmed plan involving a Chinese manufacturer at Mioveni. Any such scenario remains speculative.
For now, the unresolved issue is where Renault-Dacia will assign its next-generation models. Mioveni’s future may depend less on whether its existing lines continue running and more on whether it remains competitive when the group makes its next round of long-term production decisions.
