The small electric city car for the daily life of four people © Dacia
The year 2023 will have been beneficial for Dacia, which managed to sell 61,803 copies of its Spring. Logical, because for a large number of households, electric is the second car, the everyday one. Being able to travel 180 km in winter is enough and the space on board can accommodate four people, as well as the stroller or shopping in the trunk. But like her friends, it was above all the ecological bonus of €5,000 that favored her. Paradoxical also, because the Spring is a copy of the K-ZE that Renault tried to sell in China, before renaming it Venucia and emblazoning it with the logo of the Chinese manufacturer Dongfeng. Result, a monumental flop.
The Chinese version of the Dacia Spring. © Dongfeng
And here is the restyled version.
The party is nevertheless over. The Dacia Spring is no longer eligible for the bonus and the manufacturer’s reduction of €2,400 will not change much, because the competition is starting to organize itself, and not just a little. Between the Citroën ë-C3 (priced at €23,300 excluding bonus) and the price reduction of the MG4 (which offers a lot more for a little more), the little electric chip no longer has many advantages to put forward.
To shine, this new little Dacia Spring 2024 should take up the lines inaugurated by the new Duster, both outside and inside. The equipment should also improve, like the general finish. The heart of the car, the engine, could be the 65 hp (or 48 kW) version already available in the catalog. The autonomy will remain around 200 km, a correct figure for the use made of it, but lower than the more than 300 km of the Citroën ë-C3. Its marketing is planned for next summer.
We can still hope for more powerful charging with at least 60 kW in direct current and 11 kW in alternating current. Above all, there will need to be an attractive financing offer, with electric car customers eyeing LOAs and LLDs.