The appearance of such a model was announced by one of the top managers of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance, the director of the Motorization Alliance and Renault Electric Vehicle Engineering division, Philippe Brunet. In a comment to foreign media, he noted that in the future the Dacia brand will become fully electric, as the concern's strategy provides for a gradual abandonment of internal combustion engines by all controlled brands. Approximately, this will happen in 2026. It won't be possible earlier, since electric cars are still expensive to develop, and to make them cheaper, battery prices need to be reduced. At the same time, it is extremely important for Dacia to preserve the brand's DNA in this transition – practicality and efficiency.
“Today, batteries account for 50% of the cost of an electric car, while an internal combustion engine costs no more than 20-25%. This state of affairs does not align with the brand's mission... We need to wait for the next generation of batteries that will allow [the Dacia brand – ed.] to transition to zero emissions,” noted Philippe Brunet.
Until total electrification arrives, Dacia will focus on a compromise option – producing hybrid cars (such cars will allow the manufacturer to simultaneously reduce CO2 emissions and “not lose money”). One of the first Dacia cars with the ability to charge from an outlet should be the 7-seater Bigster crossover – its release is expected by 2025.
It is worth noting that in Europe, the Sandero costs just under 9,000 euros. Obviously, the new electric car should fit into this price range. At the same time, Dacia already has one budget “electric car” – the Spring cross-hatch, which has been produced since this year. The manufacturer asks for just over 17,000 euros for the car, but taking into account subsidies and benefits in various EU countries, Spring costs Europeans 10-12 thousand euros, and in its native Romania it costs only 7,700 euros.
Recall that the third generation of Sandero and its sibling Logan is already being produced, although Ukraine still sells the second generation of both models.
