Low-cost coming of age spooks auto incumbents

Renault’s boxy Logan sedan had rear-view mirrors as an optional extra - or so the joke went after its 2005 launch under the low-cost Dacia brand.

Its similarly cheap replacement, unveiled at the Paris auto show, has chrome dashboard finish and other stylistic flourishes worthy of a mid-market rival. Touch-screen GPS and parking radar feature in all but the simplest versions.

In a brutal auto sales slump, “crisis cars” are coming of age in Europe, narrowing the gap with mainstream brands in everything from aesthetics to fuel economy.

via Business feed http://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/1048546/low-cost-coming-age-spooks-auto-incumbents