DACIA

Why Dacia is the last to embrace the EV

All car manufacturers have their hands full with electrification, but there is a brand that - consciously - takes it easy. Dacia CEO Denis le Vot says in conversation with AutoWeek that the brand will probably only switch completely at the last minute. So well into the next decade. The combustion engine is the gold with which Dacia wants to grow in the coming years.

Last year the brand sold about 570,000 cars, but when we ask whether the million will ever be reached, Le Vot replies that it is not a matter of if, but when. Dacia will grow in the coming years and there are a number of reasons for this. The first is electrification – or rather: not yet betting on EVs. Although many manufacturers want to switch to the production of EVs in the short term, Dacia is taking it easy. The Spring is the only model for now and another EV is not planned for the next two or three years. The colleagues at Renault are allowed to do the development work from which Dacia will benefit later.

Another opportunity is provided by the Euro 7 standards. Although it is not yet certain what exactly the new emission requirements will look like, it is certain that they will make cars more expensive. And if all brands have to make their cars more expensive, then a 'value for money' brand will benefit from this, Le Vot argues. After all, people are looking for affordable models and that is the specialty of the Romanian-French brand.

Cheaper alternatives...But with the current five models that will not work. With the Spring in the smallest A-segment and the other models in or just above the B-segment, it has already conquered a podium place in many countries, but the biggest growth must come from new models in the C-segment. “That is by far the largest segment with a lot of potential. Only Dacia is not yet active there, but that will change from 2025.” The first model will be an SUV above the Duster, of which a concept has already been shown with the name Bigster. Two more models will be added shortly afterwards. “Look how expensive cars are getting. People are really looking for cheaper alternatives,' says Le Vot.

To keep a car affordable, you have to start by keeping costs low. Dacia continues to do this by exclusively using technology that is on the shelf at Renault. So no platforms or powertrains are being developed that are specific to Dacia. It is always Renault material that serves as a basis. With that stuff, the developers go to work and do the exact opposite of what many other brands do: they take away what you don't actually need. Back to the essence. No electric seat adjustment, for example, because then no cables need to be laid. If it turns out that most people turn off lane departure warning systems anyway, you might as well leave it out. This cutback in active safety results in a lower score in the EuroNCAP, but the brand takes that for granted. It does not save on passive safety.

Platform...The new, larger Dacias appear on the same so-called CMF-B platform, which now houses the Jogger and which will be used by the new Duster later this year. The platform is extremely flexible and is suitable for cars of different lengths and shapes, with front-wheel or all-wheel drive and a choice of powertrains: traditional combustion engines, but also hybrid and LPG.

“I see that cars are getting more and more expensive. If a mid-sized car was € 32,000 a few years ago, it will soon be € 37,000 and in a few years therefore € 42,000. Many people don't have that much to spend and will therefore look at their next car differently."

Electrification is not yet such a big theme for Le Vot and Dacia as it is for many other brands. Yes, the model changes are accompanied by mild hybrid and full hybrid variants, as is already the case with the Jogger. “Our cars are relatively lightweight because we deliberately made them light by leaving things out. That quickly saves 300 kilos. And with a lower weight you use less fuel, and therefore emit less," says Le Vot. He keeps an eye on developments and if necessary, the brand can electrify faster than it currently plans. In 2027 or 2028, the successor to the Sandero will come, which will have a life cycle until the mid-1930s, and an electric version will also be available. Le Vot subtly notes that the Spring has now been sold 100,000 times and accounts for about 18 percent of the volume and that this is the same as what the other brands are doing, so you cannot call Dacia a laggard. Le Vot confirms that a facelift is coming for the Spring in 2024. So the brand cannot do without electrical news, but a major offensive is not forthcoming. The brand will welcome buyers who are not yet ready for a plug-in car with open arms for the time being.

by Damian Hage