The switch from Dacia to the hybrid changes everything for economy cars
Dacia’s promise of no-frills driving has been iconoclastic in the age of the digital automobile. With less luxury, their cars were cheaper than most manufacturers and as a result the brand received a lot of attention with its motto, “You do the math”. The Romanian manufacturer was state-owned until 1999 when it was integrated into the Renault group.
In July, Hagerty announced the end of production of Dacia 1300, a car based on the Renault 12 which, more than thirty years after the Renault car went out of production, was still selling outside of European markets, at least. with minor revisions. Dacia and Renault have a long working relationship and the arrival of the hybrid Dacias is no surprise.
Renault PR coined the term “Renaulution”, which is their movement towards a more sustainable future and Dacia is taking advantage of it. The Romanian company is embarking on the production of electric vehicles and is preparing to intensify competition in this over-inflated market.
The next Dacia Duster will lower the prices of EVs.
The third generation Dacia car
Autocar reports that the Dacia Duster 2024 will remain the same car with the same value offering as before. The article goes on to say that the new Duster will continue to share parts with the other cars in the lineup. The third-generation Duster in hybrid form will share a platform with the Captur and in electric form will share with the resurgent Renault 5.
Drive reports that these new platforms will deliver around 24 new cars to the Renault Group lineup over the next few years which, like other automakers like Mercedes-Benz, has grown rapidly in recent years. Electric vehicles have always been more expensive than their internal combustion engine offerings. In the Renault lineup, this is obvious, the Captur starts at around $ 26,000 and the hybrid offering starts at $ 42,000, which for a French crossover is a hefty sum.
However, with Dacia’s slogan being “You do the math”, such an increase would not be in line with the budgetary appeal of the Romanian brand. Recently, Dacia started taking steps to electrify its lineup with the Spring Electric starting at £ 14,500, but after government programs lowered it to £ 10,500 or around $ 14,000, Driving Electric reported that the car could still make its UK debut, but with a new Duster on the way that has already proven itself, it wouldn’t take much for another car from the brands.
However, a cheap electric car like this already in production by the brand reaffirms Dacia’s commitment to making affordable vehicles in the next era of the automobile.
New partnerships for Dacia
In January, Dacia unveiled its new five-year plan and with it the Dacia Bigster concept and an aggressive, chunky design that was developed in partnership with Lada from the new Dacia-Lada unit. The unveiling by the Renault press group of this new five-year plan was a clear response to the ongoing pandemic. Dacia, like its Bigster concept, is ready to weather any storm by further expanding the Dacia and Lada model range while reducing the number of platforms they use.
All this means that Dacia will spend less to produce vehicles and can thus continue to offer prices as low as with the Spring Electric and the new Duster which is part of the history of the brand. Dacia started life as a state car manufacturer under the USSR. Its heritage is to build cars for the people. With the Bigster concept which, through their January press release, seems close to production, Dacia intends to democratize a segment of the SUV market that was largely unaffordable for many.
Shake up the market
Dacia CEO Denis Le Vot promises: “Dacia will remain Dacia, always offering a trustworthy, genuine proposition and offering the best value for money to smart buyers. »A Renault-owned brand with a history of nationalization should continue Renault’s desire to make sustainable cars accessible to everyone.
In recent years, the Renault Zoe has led that charge and cost less than £ 15,000 at launch, impressive considering that in 2012 electric cars still had a lot to prove in terms of range and style, but as the Supply Chain Dive case study shows over the past. Tesla decade changed both public opinion and the auto industry’s belief in electric cars.
Currently, electric vehicles under £ 20,000 or around $ 27,000 are almost non-existent. Dacia is already in the process of undermining the competition with the Sandero starting at less than £ 8,000, or around $ 11,000. It is in the continuity of the brand’s history that they are the ones who push for the electrification of cars in the same way that the Renault 4 introduced the automobile to many for the first time.
The current Duster sells for £ 13,995, which in the US is around $ 19,000, the company might have to keep the prices the same, but even a modest price increase would make it cheaper than the smaller ones. electric vehicles like the E-Up !, Corsa-e and Fiat 500e.
With such a great value electric vehicle heading into the market, all other manufacturers will be forced to lower their prices or introduce cheaper models. It is said that in the free market competition always works better for the consumer and with Dacia entering the electric vehicle market the competition has only increased and the brand can only lower the prices.
Read more
About the Author