Dacia D33
The Dacia D33 is a prototype car built in a maximum of two units by Romanian automaker Dacia in 1997.
According to the company's director, Constantin Stroe, the car was intended to be completely modern and reasonably priced for a new vehicle. No further details were provided, as the development of the model was abandoned once the factory was taken over by Renault.
Overview
It ultimately remained only at the prototype stage, after work was carried out between 1997 and 1998 on its design and technical components, as well as on deciding which engines and equipment would be used. It was scheduled to be launched in 1999 at the Bucharest International Auto Show, but in the meantime, Dacia was taken over by Renault. The car, codenamed D33, was designed and engineered by Dacia's engineers with assistance from IDeA in Turin. The car was to be equipped with both Hyundai engines and Romanian-designed engines.History
After 1990, following the liberalization of the Romanian car market, the Dacia 1310 had become technologically obsolete, a trend already apparent since the 1980s. However, during the earlier decade, it had faced little competition outside Eastern Europe. By the 1990s, no amount of restyling or modernization could disguise the fact that the model was outdated. Although sales initially remained decent, they gradually declined as both new and used imported cars entered the market.The launch of the Nova model failed to reverse this trend: its outdated design and poor build quality meant it was not well received. As a result, Dacia's vehicles became increasingly uncompetitive, and exports dwindled to almost nothing. Meanwhile, other Eastern European manufacturers had begun producing far more modern cars, such as the Aleko Moskvitch 2141, VAZ Lada 110, VAZ 2108 Samara in the former Soviet Union, the Škoda Favorit in Czechoslovakia, and the Yugo Florida in Yugoslavia, all of which surpassed Dacia models in quality, performance, and design.
In Romania, competition intensified when Daewoo took over and modernized the Craiova car plant, producing models such as the Daewoo Cielo and Daewoo Espero, both superior to any Dacia at the time. To stay competitive, Dacia urgently needed an entirely new vehicle to replace both the Nova and the aging Dacia 1300 series, one capable of matching the success of its earlier models in the domestic market.
In 1997, Dacia enlisted the Italian design firm Idea Torino to help develop a modern replacement. The collaboration produced a prototype known as the D33, designed by Romanian engineers from Dacia Mioveni and CESAR S.A. alongside Italian stylists. The D33 was conceived as a compact four-door sedan with space for five passengers, intended for both the Romanian and Western European markets to ensure profitability. Between 1997 and 1998, the prototype underwent extensive testing and evaluation in preparation for possible mass production.
The D33 incorporated several innovations new to the Romanian automotive industry, including ABS brakes, airbags, power steering, central locking, four-valve-per-cylinder engines, and stereo cassette players, features that were standard in contemporary Western cars. It also included a catalytic converter. By the standards of the time, the vehicle was modern, safe, and performed on par with Western equivalents. Since it was also designed for export, it had to comply with international standards and regulations required for entry into Western markets.
Engines
According to publications and automotive TV shows of the time, the Dacia D33 was to be equipped with modern engines producing between 80 and. The engines were to be both of Hyundai origin and of modern Romanian design and manufacture, possibly developed with the help of well-known manufacturers. The new engines featured dual overhead camshafts, fuel injection, and catalytic converters, complying with pollution regulations, making the car eligible for export and promising good performance and fuel economy. Both petrol and diesel versions were planned, as diesel engines were highly popular in Europe at that time.Body
The prototype had a three-box sedan body style, which was the only version built. Its dimensions placed it in the compact C-segment. According to the automotive press of the time, estate, hatchback, and possibly utility versions were also planned.Future of the model
The car was expected to sell for no more than 5,000 US dollars and was intended to replace both the Dacia Nova and the models derived from the old Renault 12, namely the Dacia 1300 and its variants. However, after Renault took over Dacia, the prototype was abandoned, probably because Renault did not consider it profitable to invest in a model that had no equivalent in its own lineup. Moreover, launching the new model would have required a major retooling of the factory. There were even rumors claiming that “Dacia was sold to Renault specifically to prevent the D33 from ever being produced”.Today, only one unit still exists, stored in a Dacia factory warehouse. It is rumored that two prototypes were built, one for testing in Romania and one for testing abroad.