Dacia Spring reinvented as sub-£18k EV with 155-mile range
Nonetheless, with 337 litres of load capacity – including an underfloor tray the Spring’s boot is almost as big as that of the larger Renault 5 and, unlike the Twingo, it has a small, 18-litre frunk, enabled partly by its higher-set, flatter-fronted bonnet.
All bodywork below the window line is bespoke to the Spring, as is much of the interior-down to the trademark hexagonal air vents and YouClip mounting points for the installation of various Dacia accessories, including phone charger stays, bag hooks and extra cupholders. The entry-level Expression car comes with a smartphone mount in place of an infotainment display, while top-spec Journey adds a 10.1in touchscreen.
The new Spring will be a notably more capable car than the outgoing model in its power, range, tech and interior space. However, its expected price of just under £18,000 is significantly higher than the outgoing car’s £11,990 (or £12,990 with a 100bhp motor). Even if the new Spring receives a full £3750 discount through the Electric Car Grant, it will give up its position as the UK’s cheapest new car to the £12,995 Leapmotor T03.
Q&A: Katrin Adt, CEO, Dacia
Is it challenging to embody Dacia’s rugged, outdoors values in a tiny city car?
“It might be less ‘outdoor’ in its usage, but if you look at our line-up, there are cars which have more of some brand values than others, and I guess a car in the A-segment cannot be as ‘outdoor’ as a Bigster 4×4. But you see those attributes also, and you see the design language, which is very consistent.”
Can you make a profit on a small electric car like this?
“We would only do projects where we are profitable because otherwise our business model would not be sustainable. This is not good for our customers, either. We use the Dacia recipe to be profitable: this is first and foremost to concentrate on what is essential for customers and to deprioritise everything else.”
How could regulators make it easier for you to build cars like this?
Related posts
Latest Post
No Comments