Dacia to launch larger European-built Spring electric model

Dacia has sold 210,000 Spring electric cars since 2021, but has failed to fully benefit from the recent growth of the electric vehicle market in France, its most important market, Reuters reported, as quoted by Economedia.ro.

France’s subsidy programme for low-income buyers excludes electric vehicles made in China, a category that includes the current Spring.

“What we have seen since April is a significant increase in the share of electric vehicles in all segments,” Frank Marotte, Dacia’s vice president for sales and operations, told Reuters.

“There is clearly a much higher demand (…), and this limits us because we have only one electric model.”

Unlike the current model, the new Spring will be eligible for subsidies available to vehicles manufactured in Europe and will no longer be subject to the EU’s additional customs duties on electric cars produced in China.

This advantage should help Dacia maintain competitive prices as Chinese manufacturers expand their presence in the European electric vehicle market.

The new Spring will be built at Renault’s plant in Novo Mesto, Slovenia, on the same platform as the Renault Twingo and a related Nissan model. The car will be 18 centimetres longer than the current generation and will have a more robust design, as Dacia seeks to attract a broader range of customers.

Dacia sales fell in France in July and August, when electric vehicles accounted for record shares of 35% and 38% of new car registrations, respectively, supported by higher fuel prices linked to the war in Iran.

In the first eight months of the year, the Spring ranked only 55th among France’s best-selling vehicles, behind models such as the Tesla Model Y, Renault 5 and Twingo.

Dacia, which has consolidated its position in the European market by focusing primarily on affordable cars with combustion engines, is now expanding its range of hybrid and electric models. The company plans to have four electric models in its range by 2030, starting with the new Spring, which will have a starting price of EUR 17,900.

In line with Dacia’s philosophy of keeping its range as simple as possible, the new Spring will be available in just four colours and two trim levels. First deliveries are scheduled for early 2027.