D-Day is finally here

Sat in Birmingham Airport waiting for a plane to Spain because it’s D-Day. D is for Dacia – pronounced Datchia – and it’s not often the UK gets an entirely new car brand. Available to order from 1 January will be three cars, the Sandero supermini, the Sandero Stepway (which is a chunkier version with faux off-road styling) and the Duster SUV. The appeal of the company, which is originally Romanian but now owned by Renault, is the price. At £5,995 the Sandero will be the UK’s cheapest new car. The brand has been a big hit in mainland Europe – new cars for austere times and for the price of a second-hand one – and that's part of the reason it's taken so long to get to the UK. Bosses are hoping it will do the same here. If it does, don’t be surprised if other big-name companies launch their own sub-brands in the same way. As a marketing initiative it’s key to selling cheaper cars without sullying the name of the parent company and killing brand image.