Logan and Sandero: a four-wheeled identity crisis
Sedan and hatchback have received so many variations since their debut that they might no longer be cost-efficient as they were designed to be
While every company should work with the image of its products as carefully as possible, automakers stand out because they can do that in different ways. As a result, one can safely say that models such as the Porsche 911 are designed with the same amount of effort as, say, the compact sedan and hatchback featured in this article’s title.
Some car models never change much so as to preserve iconic designs while others get complete makeovers to keep up with the everchanging demand. Some offer few variations in order to strengthen their image, others try and adapt themselves to many types of buyers, and so on. As a result, some strategies are more interesting to analyze than others.
What’s the deal with the Logan and the Sandero?
First of all, did you notice I didn’t refer to them including their brands? They were first created for Dacia, the low-cost marque of the Renault-Nissan Alliance, to replace the ancient 1300 in Europe. However, they also turned out to be interesting to other markets which needed cheap models with plenty of internal space and no-frills design.
Over the years, such demand led the company to give them many body styles and trim levels and release them under Renault and even Lada marques, each one with a different combination. At first, everyone was happy because they were strong competitors and managed to replace models such as the second-gen Clio in Latin America with huge gains.
"At first"… What happened next?
Those models are members of a family originally created for a low-cost marque focused on Europe. That means some of their characteristics can easily result undesirable elsewhere. One of them is being practical to the point of overlooking other aspects: all models were considered too simple, while the very first Logan was also deemed plain ugly.
The most serious consequence of all that is creating an image conflict with the other marques. Renault models usually show more concern with design and refinement and Lada has low-cost models of its own. The company was getting good sales numbers in exchange of prestige, which would certainly cause trouble in the future. That had to change soon.
How could the company solve that?
Since the models are already on sale, the only short-term solution was to better adapt them to the other brands. The most symbolic example of that is what the Brazilian branch has done: increasingly customize the models to suit the local preferences. Over the years, it went from exclusive trim levels to creating the Stepway, which is now independent from the Sandero.
Executing this process literally means giving people what they want, so it’s natural that its reception has been positive. Sales have been strong, so Renault decided to keep doing it. The latest chapter of this story has just been written: hatchback and sedan were facelifted in Brazil in a particular way, different from the models sold elsewhere with Dacia and Renault brands.
How are they different from the other models?
The hatchbacks had their tail lights redesigned with an addition which resembles that of the latest European Renaults. Besides that, the adoption of a CVT forced the model to have higher ride height, which the maker disguised by using light off-road decor on all versions which use that transmission — including the Logan. Other than that, the very Stepway is a Brazilian concoction.
As a result, that lineup is different not only from Dacia’s but also from the other Renault’s, which is offered in countries such as Russia. There are three styles for all three models and two interpretations of the light off-road trim applied to the Logan and the Sandero. See how confusing that lineup is? Sadly, it’s also negative from an industrial point of view.
What problems does such a strategy bring?
First of all, it goes against any effort to unify the lineup. Even though these models have local production in all those regions, such differences make it difficult for the factories to collaborate. For instance, if demand temporarily rises in one region, the company won’t be able to meet it by importing units produced in the others. That reduces the company’s flexibility.
That also creates an image problem. It’s difficult to see these models as Dacia or Renault, so they look like strangers in both showrooms. People end up choosing them mostly for rational aspects, such as roomy cabin and interesting price, than for style or brand value. As a result, any image-centered variation of these cars, such as sporty and fancy, will yield poor sales.
How could the company revert that?
Constancy goes a long way here. Image is a vital component of any car, although in different ways depending on its price. If it’s necessary to customize the models so much for each region, it might be more interesting to create independent ones. Even taking production costs into account, selling one product under multiple brands has become counterproductive in today’s market.
Fortunately, it seems that the company already knows that. Recent articles report that Renault decided to stop selling models under two brands precisely because of image issues; the only exception will be the Duster because of its strong sales. In the meantime, we get to drive the latest generation of compact cars designed to please Romanians, Russians and Brazilians individually.
