Tag Archives: Dacia

NEW CARS

2027 Dacia New Spring Trades Cheap-and-Cheerful Roots for a European Future

Leave a comment

The Dacia Spring has always been an automotive outlier. It wasn’t particularly fast, sophisticated, or refined, but that was never the point. What made it remarkable was its price tag. For years, it stood as one of Europe’s cheapest electric vehicles, offering a no-frills route into EV ownership. Now, Dacia is preparing to rewrite the formula.

Meet the New Spring.

Yes, that’s officially the name. Dacia has confirmed that its upcoming electric city car will retain the Spring badge but add a “New” prefix to distinguish it from the existing model that will continue to be sold alongside it. The naming strategy may be confusing, but the car itself represents a much bigger shift than a simple facelift or model-year update.

Most importantly, the New Spring abandons its Chinese origins.

The original Spring arrived in 2021 as a heavily reworked version of the Renault Kwid EV, built in China and riding on the aging CMFA-EV platform. While Dacia refreshed the car substantially in 2024 and boosted performance with updated powertrains and batteries in 2025, the underlying architecture remained unchanged.

The New Spring changes all of that.

Instead of being sourced from China, the newcomer will be built in Europe and will ride on Renault Group’s modern AmpR Small platform. That’s the same architecture underpinning the upcoming Renault Twingo E-Tech, giving Dacia access to a far more advanced foundation than the outgoing model ever had.

A recently released teaser image reveals only the rear of the vehicle, but it already suggests a more mature design direction. The tailgate appears upright and practical, while square-shaped LED taillights and clean body surfacing emphasize functionality over fashion. It remains unmistakably a city car, but one that looks considerably more substantial than its predecessor.

Dacia hasn’t revealed the cabin yet, although the company promises “four real seats and a real trunk”—a subtle acknowledgment that space and practicality remain central to the Spring’s mission. Expect a minimalist interior focused on durability and usability rather than luxury. The brand’s increasingly popular YouClip accessory system will likely make an appearance, allowing owners to customize storage solutions and interior accessories.

The real story, however, lies beneath the sheetmetal.

Technical specifications remain under wraps, but industry expectations point toward a setup borrowed largely from the Renault Twingo E-Tech. That would mean an electric motor producing around 80 horsepower paired with a 27.5-kWh battery pack. Those figures may not sound impressive, but they represent a meaningful improvement over the entry-level Spring’s modest output and should provide more than enough performance for urban environments.

Dacia’s gamble appears well-founded. Since its launch, the Spring has found nearly 210,000 buyers across Europe, proving that affordability can outweigh concerns about range, performance, or prestige. For many consumers, it wasn’t the best EV—it was simply the one they could actually afford.

That affordability equation is changing, however.

Dacia says the New Spring will start below €18,000. While that would still make it one of Europe’s least expensive electric cars, it represents a significant increase over the outgoing Spring, which was available in Germany earlier this year for roughly €11,900.

The higher price should bring meaningful gains in technology, safety, performance, and overall refinement. In other words, Dacia appears ready to move the Spring from bargain-basement transportation to something approaching a genuinely modern EV.

What won’t change is the basic formula. The New Spring will retain compact dimensions, five doors, and city-friendly proportions, as confirmed by previous design sketches. It’s still designed for crowded urban streets, tight parking spaces, and buyers who prioritize practicality over prestige.

Only now, it seems, Dacia wants those buyers to have a little more car for their money.

And for the first time, the Spring may be more than just the cheapest EV in Europe—it might actually be one of the most compelling.

Source: Dacia

NEW CARS

Dacia Striker: A Budget Brand Swings for the Wagon Fences

Dacia is about to add another name ending in “-er” to its growing lineup of rugged, budget-friendly crossovers. The newest entry, called Striker, is scheduled to debut on March 10, and while the Romanian brand hasn’t revealed much, the early hints point toward a compact crossover wagon designed to sit just above the Jogger in the lineup.

If the name sounds a little unusual, that’s intentional. According to Dacia, “Striker” draws inspiration from the 1980s and the satisfying power and precision of a bowling strike. It also continues the brand’s now-established naming theme—Jogger, Duster, Bigster—where the “-er” suffix signals something active, adventurous, and, in Dacia’s words, easy to pronounce with “strong phonetics.” Marketing speak aside, the name is meant to suggest a tough, versatile vehicle ready to accompany its owners wherever they happen to roll.

A Wagon With a Rugged Twist

What we know so far points to a compact crossover-style station wagon. Spy shots of prototypes already testing on public roads have revealed a long-roof silhouette with chunky proportions—think traditional wagon practicality mixed with the raised stance buyers now expect from anything wearing plastic cladding.

One teaser image reveals sharply styled angular LED taillights, and their design looks uncannily similar to those from the Škoda Vision O concept. That may not be a coincidence: the Škoda Octavia Combi is widely expected to be one of the Striker’s closest rivals. The tailgate also wears prominent Striker lettering, though in typical Dacia fashion the branding appears to be a decal rather than a traditional badge—another small nod to the company’s relentless focus on keeping costs down.

Elsewhere, black exterior trim contrasts with a light blue body color, and the front end seems to feature a blocked grille with bold Dacia lettering, a look that’s becoming something of a signature across the brand’s latest models.

Cheap, Cheerful, and Practical Inside

Dacia hasn’t officially shown the interior yet, but early glimpses suggest a cabin built from recycled materials designed to be durable, easy to clean, and—most importantly—affordable. That approach has become a hallmark of the brand’s recent designs, where clever cost-cutting often doubles as environmental messaging.

Practicality will likely be the Striker’s main selling point. Expect a large cargo area, flexible seating, and compatibility with Dacia’s expanding ecosystem of YouClip accessories, which allow owners to attach various holders, hooks, and storage add-ons throughout the cabin.

For buyers with an adventurous streak, the Striker should also support the camping accessories already available for the Jogger, Duster, and Bigster, suggesting that Dacia sees this wagon as another member of its growing outdoor-friendly family.

Familiar Platform, Familiar Power

Underneath, the Striker will ride on CMF-B, the Renault-Nissan Alliance architecture that underpins nearly the entire Dacia range—everything except the tiny electric Spring. That means the powertrain lineup should look very familiar.

Expect a mix of petrol, LPG, mild-hybrid, and full-hybrid options, many of them shared with the latest Duster and the upcoming Bigster. Most versions will likely stick with front-wheel drive, but Dacia could offer an all-wheel-drive variant for buyers who want their affordable wagon to handle the occasional muddy trail.

Built in Turkey

Interestingly, production of the Striker is expected to take place in Turkey, while Dacia’s Romanian factory focuses on SUVs that share its mechanical foundations. The move reflects how important the brand’s crossover lineup has become as Dacia continues to grow across Europe.

The Big Picture

If the Striker delivers what the teasers promise, it could become a rare thing in today’s market: a budget-friendly station wagon that doesn’t pretend to be a full-blown SUV but still offers some rugged attitude. In a world where affordable long-roof options are disappearing fast, that alone could make the Striker an intriguing addition to Dacia’s lineup.

We’ll know the full story when the wraps come off on March 10—and whether Dacia’s latest “-er” really strikes a perfect frame.

Source: Dacia

News

Dacia Turns Its SUVs into a Budget Observatory on Wheels

Leave it to Dacia to look at the booming overlanding craze, shrug at the six-figure expedition rigs clogging Instagram, and say: What if camping was just… simple? The Romanian brand’s latest idea, charmingly dubbed the “Million Star Hotel,” is less about rooftop tents and titanium cookware and more about sleeping inside your car while the universe puts on a show overhead.

The concept centers on Dacia’s biggest SUV yet, the Bigster, a 4.57-meter-long slab of practical ambition that finally offers enough interior real estate to make car camping feel intentional rather than desperate. The star of the show—literally and figuratively—is the factory-designed Sleep Pack, an optional setup that turns the Bigster’s cargo area into a two-person bedroom with a view of the cosmos.

The Sleep Pack isn’t exclusive to the Bigster; it also fits the Duster and Jogger, reinforcing Dacia’s talent for stretching one clever idea across an entire lineup. At its core is a 190-centimeter double mattress that unfolds across the boot floor and folded rear seats. When morning comes—or when you need your SUV back—the mattress detaches and tucks neatly into a bespoke wooden storage box.

Headroom is, predictably, snug. But the Bigster’s panoramic sunroof makes that a feature rather than a flaw. Instead of staring at headliner fabric, you fall asleep watching the stars wheel overhead, separated from deep space by a thin sheet of glass. The wooden base doubles as a small table, with storage compartments underneath for the essentials: flashlights, snacks, and whatever else you forgot to pack because you assumed “it’s just one night.”

Dacia’s big reveal happens February 25 and 26 in Scotland’s Galloway Forest Park, one of the UK’s officially designated dark-sky zones. Far from city glow and light pollution, guests will camp overnight beneath a rare celestial alignment. If the weather cooperates—and that’s always the fine print in Scotland—Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, and Mercury will all be visible to the naked eye.

This isn’t just a lie-down-and-stargaze affair. Dacia is leaning into the outdoorsy fantasy with open-fire cooking, kayaking, and fishing. And while the Sleep Pack doesn’t magically add plumbing, the brand will provide on-site facilities, including a large communal tent with basic amenities. Think glamping-adjacent, minus the pretense.

Bookings for the “Million Star Hotel” are open until January 28 through a dedicated website, with spots allocated by lottery. Requirements are refreshingly straightforward: UK residency, a valid driver’s license, and ideally someone you don’t mind sharing a mattress with. Each vehicle sleeps two adults, so bringing a guest is encouraged.

For those who don’t win the stargazing sweepstakes—or who just want to turn their own Dacia into a weekend escape pod—the Sleep Pack is available to buy. The mattress and wooden box retail for £1,307. Add blackout curtains for £175 and a tent for £350, and the full InNature Camping Kit totals £1,830.

In classic Dacia fashion, it’s not luxurious, it’s not flashy, and it doesn’t pretend to be anything it isn’t. But in a world where “adventure” often comes with a luxury price tag, the idea of parking an affordable SUV in the middle of nowhere and watching the planets drift by feels refreshingly honest. Sometimes, the best hotel really does have a million stars—and no minibar.

Source: Dacia