Dacia targets eco- and cost-conscious buyers with Spring EV

Dacia hopes to attract new customers to the brand with the full-electric Spring minicar, its first electrified model, which will sell for about 12,000 euros with incentives in major European markets.

The Spring, which is built in China at a Renault Group joint venture factory, is aimed at retirees looking to simplify their lives, young families looking for a second car, and environmentally conscious people who might not have considered Dacia before because it only offered models with internal combustion engines, said Xavier Martinet, Dacia's global head of sales and marketing.

It's the third group whom Dacia hopes to attract, Martinet said at a test drive in March outside of Paris. 

Martinet would not disclose sales targets, but said that there were 15 million potential minicar (A segment) customers in Europe, and 2 million in France alone. "The potential is gigantic," he said.

The Spring was developed from the Renault Kwid, an internal-combustion engine minicar aimed at the Indian market but also sold in Brazil.

The Kwid's high stance and seating position were developed for India's rough roads, and Dacia describes the Spring as having "a touch of off-road" styling, including black plastic wheel arches and door protection.

The Kwid's electric version, the Renault K-ZE, was shown at the 2018 Paris auto show and launched in China in 2019. the Renault K-ZE became the Dacia Spring after European homologation and versions continue to be sold in China under other brand names.

Low-cost full-electric competitors include the Renault Twingo and its sibling model, the Smart ForFour EQ, and three Volkswagen Group models: the Seat Mii Electric, Skoda Citigo e-iV and VW e-Up. 

The Spring is available in three versions: Business, aimed at short-term rental fleets (also known as car sharing) and business customers; a version aimed at private buyers with two trim levels; and a cargo version without rear seats that will be sold as a light-commercial vehicle. Deliveries of the business version have already started, with the French chain E. LeClerc ordering 3,000 for use as rental vehicles. 

Orders for the consumer version opened March 20, with the first deliveries this autumn. The cargo version will be available next year.

Dacia has kept costs low by omitting features that are standard in more expensive cars in the segment, such as a tilt steering wheel or height-adjustable front seats. There are just two trim levels available, with the higher-level trim getting a 7-inch touchscreen and a backup camera.

The Spring is not intended for regular highway use, with a top speed of 125 kph from a 44 hp electric motor. With a total weight of 920 kg (2,028 pounds), acceleration from 0 to 50 kph takes 5.8 seconds, but 0 to 100 kph takes 19.1 seconds, Dacia says. In comparison, the Twingo ZE weighs 1,168 kg, and the VW e-Up is 1,235 kg.

Range, however, is similar to other full-electric minicars at 230 km (143 miles) on the WLTP mixed cycle and 305 km in an urban cycle.

Dacia will sell the Spring as the best value-fo-money EV, consistent with its overall strategy, Martinet said. A list price in France of 16,990 euros drops to 12,403 when a government EV bonus is deducted, making it the least expensive full-electric car on the market. 

The Spring's price has been closely calibrated to take advantage of different countries' EV incentives, Martinet said. In Germany, for example, the price falls to 10,920 euros after incentives, and to 12,460 after incentives in Italy. It's not yet scheduled to be sold in the UK, where right-hand-drive constraints have limited Renault Group lineups. 

Dacia is also hoping that a substantial portion of customers will choose a long-term rental option (49 months, maximum 40,000 km) with a monthly cost of 89 euros, including a 2,500 scrapping incentive. Renters who do not have a car to turn in can make an initial payment of several thousand euros to get the same rate.