Automobile Dacia, one of Romania's two automobile producers and among the country’s largest exporters, confirmed the personnel downsizing scheme that eliminated 1,200 employees by either voluntary leave (against a severance package) or non-renewal of the temporary labour contract, according to Ziarul Financiar. The company’s personnel already decreased from more than 14,700 in 2018-2019 to close to 10,000 at the end of 2025. 

The move came at a moment when Dacia decided to produce its two new models launched this year in Turkey and Slovenia, which prompted reactions from the union in the factory.

Dacia’s new model, Striker, a hybrid crossover, will be produced in Turkey, and the new electric A-segment model will be manufactured in Slovenia. 

Sandero Stepway, one of the best-selling models on the European market, was already produced in Morocco. Dacia’s sole electric model so far, Spring, is produced in China.

The union blamed the government for Romania's decreasing attractiveness for investment. 

“The reasons are known: the delayed infrastructure – including the Piteşti-Sibiu Highway, high energy costs, fiscal and political instability, but also unpredictable economic programs,” a union’s press release reads, as reported by Ziarul Financiar. 

The management of Dacia described the entire process as "a responsible approach, in compliance with the legislation in force, also used in the past." The temporary labour contracts were not renewed starting with the end of 2025, “given the level of activity we can envisage,” the company explained. 

"To maintain competitiveness and adapt the activity according to the evolution of production volumes, Automobile Dacia launched a voluntary departure plan at the beginning of this year," the company also explained.

The recent decision to produce Striker in Turkey “was not a decision against Romania, but a decision for competitiveness and a decision for the entire group to exploit the existing assets as much as possible,” argued Katrin Adt, CEO of Dacia. Asked which chapter was missing in the case of Romania - too expensive energy or too high salaries, Katrin Adt avoided a direct answer, repeating that the decision aimed at exploiting existing assets in other countries.

Thierry Charvet, Chief Industry & Quality Officer of the Renault Group, admitted that the rising wages and energy prices are a factor, however: “Inflation has been the highest in the last five years. Costs have doubled - the minimum wage, the cost of energy. It can become a problem. The trend is worrying."

Charvet explained that the solution is twofold: gradual automation and control of cost inflation. But he acknowledged that, in the group's equation, Turkey's competitiveness remains "very, very high," and Morocco and India offer even more attractive cost bases.

iulian@romania-insider.com

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