While diesel engines will have been acclaimed in the previous generation of Dacia Sandero et Duster, This is no longer the case today. The transition is underway at Dacia, which will gradually develop its engine offering. Currently, the greenest car is the Dacia Spring, the only electric Dacia branded. ( read our essay Dacia Spring, punitive ecology? )
Dacia is particularly lagging behind in terms of hybrid engines, since it does not offer a single one!
The Romanian brand, on the other hand, stands out with a dual-fuel LPG offer that appeals to many customers, who are turning their backs on diesel for several reasons. Since the TDI scandal with rigged pollutant emissions, confidence in diesel has eroded. Many manufacturers have decided to turn the page, and the public authorities are also banning it from large cities through the ZFEs. Add to the table of prices that climb and exceed those of the SP95 E10, diesel is no longer a recipe.
At Dacia, buyers are above all individuals. Not targeting professionals has also accelerated the release of diesel.
This is what led the brand to no longer offer a diesel-powered engine on the new Sandero that appeared last year. The offer focuses on gasoline and LPG bi-fuel, with very high sales which validate the scheme.
Goodbye diesel, welcome to hybridization
Dacia was thus able to renew the system on its new Jogger, which replaced the Lodgy and Dokker. As a result, at the end of 2022, only the current Duster at the end of its life still has diesel engines in the catalog. This situation already has an end in the calendar. Upon its renewal, the Dacia Duster will no longer offer a diesel engine. On the other hand, it should expand the offer with the Captur’s E-TECH hybrid engine. Because the Duster has always been offered with all-wheel drive, which also requires a slightly more generous engine than those offered on a Sandero.
The E-TECH engine which develops 145 hp should arrive in 2023 on the Jogger, before appearing on the new Duster in 2024. A natural evolution, which should not disturb Dacia customers.
Dacia will also be able to borrow the latest hybrid engines from the Renault Austral for the new Bigster, the brand’s future 7-seater SUV.
A real transition, which will also be accompanied in the future by new 100% electric models. The Spring should in particular be replaced by a new generation within 3 years, and other models should follow…