Dacia Duster 4x4 to get electric rear axle in new flagship model

The hybrid Dacia Duster will soon be offered as a 4x4, CEO Denis Le Vot has confirmed. Previously only available on the TCe 130 turbo petrol engine, four-wheel drive is to be offered in combination with the hybrid drivetrain and an automatic gearbox.

“By the end of 2025, we’ll be introducing another [powertrain] solution: a hybrid, automatic 4x4 with an electrified rear axle,” Le Vot told us. “There was something missing in the range for lots of people. We’ve been working hard on that, because we need to make it affordable.”

He said the 4x4 set-up would be paired with the TCe 140 hybrid powertrain as well as, in some markets, the firm’s Bi-Fuel LPG system. In the UK, only the smaller Sandero is offered in LPG form, accounting for around 10 per cent of the supermini’s sales.

Le Vot detailed the virtues of the new Duster Hybrid 4x4, telling us: “Instead of having a lot of friction, we just have two wires. With no compromise off road.”

The larger Dacia Bigster will be offered with the same Hybrid 4x4 technology and, in turn, could become the company’s first plug-in hybrid, lifting the PHEV layout from the Renault Rafale – possibly in a lower state of tune.

Exact prices and specifications for the Duster Hybrid 4x4 will be revealed closer to the car’s launch towards the end of this year. Though given the Duster Hybrid currently costs around £3,000 more than the equivalent turbo petrol, we’d expect a Hybrid 4x4 to start from roughly £26,500 in Expression spec; a range-topping Extreme is unlikely to offer much change from £30k. If that proves true, the Hybrid 4x4 would be the most expensive Duster to date.

Want the latest car news in your inbox? Sign up to the free Auto Express email newsletter...