DACIA

Dacia electric car for less than 18,000 euros arrives in Europe next year

On his official LinkedIn page, Denis Le Vot published an image of what will be Dacia's new tram

The CEO of the Romanian brand said that this will be a fast-developing car - it will be made in 16 months - and that it will have an affordable price, below 18,000 euros.

Made in Europe, Denis Le Vot also assured that the new tram embodies the way Dacia is going deeper into affordable electric mobility.

With square lines, it is already possible to get an idea of ​​what this new electric car will be like, a topic that had already been addressed by Luca de Meo, CEO of Renault. "It will be a true Dacia, with a real value for money," stressed the Renault Group's strongman.

Dacia has already started development of a new affordable electric city car, which will share the same platform as the future Renault Twingo EV. The model will be launched in 2026 and will have an estimated price of €18,000

Dacia's new electric car will be developed in an extremely short cycle of just 16 months, well below the usual time for new vehicles. The brand's strategy is part of its effort to offer affordable electric options manufactured in Europe, while avoiding import tariffs applied to models produced in China.

The decision follows the success of the Dacia Spring, the European equivalent of our Renault Kwid E-Tech, which sold more than 140,000 units between 2021 and 2024. However, the model is manufactured in China and, despite a recent facelift, faces competitive challenges in the European market.

More space, technology and varied versions...Dacia's new electric compact will be larger and more advanced than the Spring, offering more interior space and improved technologies. Unlike the Spring – which is an adaptation of the Renault Kwid –, the new model will be designed from the start as an electric car, reducing the limitations of the previous platform.

Dacia may also follow the successful strategy of the Sandero and offer a Stepway version, with a higher height and more robust look, to attract buyers of crossovers.

The impact of the AmpR Small platform...The new model will be based on the AmpR Small platform, the same one used in the Renault 5 E-Tech and the Twingo EV. One of the differences of this architecture is the use of only 750 components, making production 40% cheaper than that of a conventional electric vehicle.

Dacia should seek even greater cost cuts, taking advantage of the base already developed by Renault. There is still no confirmation about where the model will be produced, but it may come off the same assembly line as the Twingo EV.

In addition to this new compact, Dacia is also preparing the arrival of the electric Sandero for 2027, expanding its range of affordable electrified models in the European market.

If they can stick to their 16-month development schedule, it means we'll see Dacia's new electric city car hit the market early next summer — late June or early July 2026. That means it will hit the market even before the third-generation Dacia Sandero — due in 2027 — whose development began before this city car. Currently, this is the brand's best-selling model in Europe.

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