Exclusive: Dacia Hipster to launch in 2027 as sub-£10k city car
Asked about the plant’s future, Frank Marotte, Dacia’s senior vice-president of global sales, marketing and operations, acknowledged that “a plan is being prepared with the joint venture’s two other shareholders (Dongfeng and Nissan) to safeguard activity at the plant”.
He added: “The Renault Group wants to retain this industrial site, which has annual production capacity of 45,000 vehicles for the group, for two main reasons: its competitive production costs and its innovation capabilities.”
According to internal sources, the Shiyan team is also contributing to the vehicle’s technical development, including its motor, battery and chassis, with components from the previous-generation Spring being reused wherever possible to minimise costs.
The L7e category imposes strict technical limits: a maximum weight of 450kg (excluding the battery), power capped at 20bhp and a top speed of no more than 56mph.
Dacia’s two main challenges are weight and manufacturing cost. The ideal solution would be to use plastic body panels, as on the Ami, but these are “expensive” compared with steel panels, according to Dacia design director David Durand.
The Chinese engineering teams working on the vehicle are consequently exploring ways of reducing its weight while meeting the lower price target imposed by Cambolive.
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