Romanian president: Car maker Dacia might lose the assembly line in Pitesti because of lack of infrastructure

Dacia’s plant in Pitesti might lose the assembly line if the Pan-European Corridor IV is not completed, Romanian President Traian Basescu recently said during a show at local TV station Look TV. He added that Romania might lose many investments if the corridor, including the Pitesti-Sibiu highway, is not completed, adding it should be made a priority. “It is sure Dacia will lose the assembly line in Pitesti because at Tangier, in Morocco, there are already takeover capacities,” said Traian Basescu, quoted by local Citynews.ro. “In Tangier, the cars are placed directly in the ship because the port is at just a few kilometers from the factory, not like in Romania where the Government prioritizes the highway section Bucharest-Alexandria instead of Pitesti-Sibiu,” added the President. Dacia, owned by French Renault, upped its sales by 19 percent last year, to some 430,000 units, France remaining the car maker’s main market. Sales in Romania were up by 12.4 percent, to some 24,000 cars. Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com