Why the Pentagon Bought Romania a ‘Cheap and Cheerful’ Hatchback
- Mattis approved car along with a road around a military base
- $2.9 million package was justified as protecting relations
A Dacia Sandero Stepway II.
Photographer: Marlene Awaad/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Nobody at the Pentagon can quite figure out why U.S. taxpayers bought a Dacia Sandero Stepway 2 for the Romanian defense ministry, but it’s apparently one of those things allies do to smooth relations.
It’s a mystery because the Dacia isn’t a fighter jet, a missile system or a tank. It’s a small hatchback, described by one auto reviewer as “cheap and cheerful.”