Dacia goes Electric – Did I hear that right?
More of the important things. Fewer unnecessary extras.
That is the philosophy of Dacia. I think it’s a nicer way of saying what I would have said. “Basic, cheap, does the job”.
But let’s take a closer look at the Dacia. I remember these being around when I was a kid and I remember the jokes that followed them. They were up there with the jokes about Skodas.
The Dacia was built in Romania, which seemed like a country we knew nothing about. Because we didn’t. And we certainly didn’t believe that they could build a decent car.
But in 1999, Renault purchased Dacia (after they failed to make a deal with the aforementioned Skoda) and their reputation started to change. They were still seen as the cheap alternative to other main brands, but slowly, the perception about unreliability started to falter.
The Dacia Logan in 2004 enjoyed large success in many European countries (mainly Romania!) and although it was branded as the Renault Logan in some markets, things were on the up. Only a few years ago, the Dacia range made it into the Top 5 most reliable car brands in Britain.
Which brings us (almost) up to today, where the Dacia Duster is the Number 1 selling car for Renault and in 2019, Renault had the most car sales across Europe after Volkswagen.
Now, Dacia have surprised audiences once again. By launching the Dacia Spring, which they have promised will be Europe’s most affordable EV.
It’s a compact crossover, which Dacia says (the full production version) will have a range of almost 200km. They are pitching it for town and suburban use, rather than long journeys.
It is due to hit Europe in 2021 and the company have plans to introduce it to car-sharing plans at that time, rather than straight to private markets.
So, not one we will we be driving anytime soon, but good to know that more affordable EV’s are continuing to come down the track.
I’m keeping a good eye on Dacia. And I don’t have a joke in my repertoire.
