► Dacia has halted online car sales for Black Friday
► Budget brand says it offers great value year round
► Dacia sells some of the cheapest cars in the UK
Budget manufacturer Dacia has shut down its online car sales portal today, as a protest/marketing stunt against Black Friday.
Dacia says the move will help highlight its commitment to offering good value on its model range all year round, rather than waiting for a specific day to offer the best prices and deals on its Sandero supermini, Duster SUV and Jogger MPV.
Black Friday is an American import, referring to the Friday after Thanksgiving in the United States. It typically marks the start of the Christmas shopping season, and with US-based online marketplaces dominating the internet it’s a phenomenon that’s spread to Europe too.
But Dacia’s research shows that consumers are bowing out of the spend-fest this year, being sceptical of the value on offer and wanting to save money during the cost-of-living crisis.
Dacia says Black Friday can lead consumers to overspend on things they don’t need, and that 70 per cent of Brits believe it’s just a marketing gimmick. Retailers will often use tricks like raising the price of an item for a few weeks before the big day to then ‘cut’ the price on Black Friday, or offering great deals on items that are limited in stock to then upsell consumers to a different product with a greater profit margin.
Luke Broad, Dacia’s brand director for the UK, said: “At Dacia, Black Friday is just a normal Friday. Shutting down our online sales for the day is a bold move but it does show our commitment to being the UK’s number one car manufacturer for value. This is a way to put our money where our mouth is. Black Friday can easily lead consumers to overspend on products they don’t need – which isn’t what Dacia is about.
“Today, you can relax knowing our cars are built tough and built to last, so you can take a break and buy from us tomorrow, confident that you’re getting the best value on the market”.
Our six-month test of a Sandero proved cheap certainly can mean cheerful.
Dacia’s configurator and online sales portal will be closed for the whole of Black Friday. If you’re less sceptical and do want to check out some of the best deals on offer, our consumer team has come up with some brilliant – and genuine – deals on everything from dashcams to pressure washers.