ROME — As unlikely as it sounds, the Big Three Detroit auto makers might look to Romania for inspiration on how to reinvent themselves.
Romania is a struggling Eastern European country that gets little attention in the rest of Europe, or anywhere else. The country's industrial base is in rough shape, though slowly improving as it creeps into the European Union fold. But it has one industry that stands out as an international success story - car making.
Romania's Automobile Dacia is one of the few high-growth car businesses in the otherwise ailing global auto industry. The brand's French owner, Renault, couldn't be happier. The Dacia is a genuine low-cost car that rolls out of the factory near Bucharest with a fat profit margin.
The machine sells well throughout Europe, and elsewhere, because it is not a jalopy pieced together with 40-year-old parts from Warsaw Pact trucks. The Dacia's engineering and drivability, if not visual appeal, come close to the standards of the latest Renault cars.
The lesson: You don't necessarily need dazzling technology to make a buck in a competitive market (though it certainly can help, as Toyota learned with the hybrid Prius). You do need an inexpensive, safe, reliable car that can appeal to the masses.
* real the full article here http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20081208.wibreguly08/BNStory/robColumnsBlogs/
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