Diesels were the most desirable cars in Europe for years, but the development of electric cars and increased demand pushed them into the background. However, it gave the opportunity to manufacturers to find new solutions like LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) used by Dacia cars. Starting next year, the new generation of cars will combine LPG with MHEV technology.
The EU heavily encourages the purchase of hybrid cars, primarily targeting current diesel owners. Adopting new regulations on internal combustion engines forced manufacturers to speed up the electrification of their cars. So Dacia also increased the number of its fully electric and hybrid cars, which resulted in a good positioning in the market, and the new decision to combine LPG and electrification will definitely make it even better.
The Romanian brand is currently developing a new generation of engines, which will be more powerful than the current 1.0 ECO-G with 100 hp (74 kW). The basis will be the new Renault 1.2 TCe gasoline engine, which means that the three-cylinder block remains, but in combination with 12 and 48-volt mild hybrid (MHEV) technology, with a total power of 120 hp to 150 hp. Buyers will be able to choose engines with manual and EDC dual-clutch automatic transmissions, and FWD and AWD versions. The first models that will be launched are the new Duster and Bigster, which are expected in late 2024 or early 2025.
Source: Dacia