New Dacia Spring Electric confirmed to arrive next year
Bosses confirm the new Dacia Spring Electric will arrive in showrooms next year and set to become Europe's cheapest electric car.
Dacia will launch “Europe’s most affordable electric car” next year, bosses have confirmed.
Based on the Dacia Spring Electric concept, which was revealed in March, the firm’s first production electric vehicle has been described as “another revolution” in the new car market. Prices are yet to be confirmed, but in order to become Europe’s cheapest EV it will have to undercut the £17,445 price tag after incentives of the entry-level Skoda Citigo e-iV.
The electric hatch is a rebadged version of the Renault K-ZE that's currently available in China. Measuring up at 3.73 metres in length, it sits between the Volkswagen up! and the three-door MINI Hatch in terms of size. Where it differs is with its raised ride height and SUV-like design elements, like the front and rear skid plates.
“It has the Dacia ingredients, this is something that will satisfy the customers but also be economically viable”, Mihai Bordeanu, Dacia’s global marketing boss told Auto Express.”Our aim is to be the best value for money brand and we will do with every model we launch.”
It’s clear that the design of the Spring Electric will change much compared to its Renault sibling. The exterior surfacing is completely unaltered from the Renault EV, with the Dacia differentiated by the use of a new grille, and new headlight and taillight signatures in line with the budget brand’s other models.
While the benchmark figures produced for the K-ZE conform to Chinese regulations, Dacia has said that the upcoming Spring Electric will be homologated to have a maximum range of over 124 miles on a single charge, according to the WLTP standard used in Europe.
The brand has not revealed any battery or performance figures, but the City K-ZE uses a 26.8kWh battery linked to a 44bhp electric motor driving the front axle. Renault could choose to alter the drivetrain to prioritise more performance in the Dacia Spring Electric, in order to keep the car more competitive with more powerful rivals fitted with larger batteries, such as the Skoda Citigo e-iV.
“The priority needs to be around the essentials, so there is nothing necessary in the car and nothing which is not proven technology. Dacia looks at proven technology at Groupe Renault, and we have many things to choose, but dacia is a tech follower and takes what is proven and works perfectly,” Bordeanu added.
Changes to the Dacia K-ZE for Europe are more likely to focus on improving quality and adding more equipment to better suit the needs of European customers. The current Renault K-ZE features electric windows, an eight-inch touchscreen and air conditioning as standard, but ESP and side airbags don’t feature.
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