Dacia CEO Denis Le Vot has revealed an electrified version of the Sandero hatchback will arrive in 2027 or 2028. Speaking with UK outlet AutoCar, Le Vot stated that the Sandero EV would last until "2034 or 2035" and would serve the budget-conscious consumer.
While Le Vot admitted that the Sandero EV will have a shorter range than rivals and take longer to charge, he also promised that it will be incredibly cheap. Dacia's CEO criticized the entry-level prices of EVs at the moment, stating that high prices were preventing average consumers from making the switch to electric.
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The Sandero has been on sale since 2008 and is currently in its third generation. Manufactured in Romania and Morocco, the Sandero starts at the equivalent of just over $10,000 in Europe. The definition of barebones transport, the entry-level Sandero doesn’t even get a radio as standard.
The Sandero won't be Dacia's first electric car. It already sells one EV - the Spring. A mix between a hatchback and crossover, the Spring is powered by a 27.4-kilowatt-hour battery pack and has a range of 143 miles. For reference, the new plug-in-hybrid Range Rover has a larger battery than it. That said, the Spring is of course incredibly cheap with prices starting at €10,920 ($11,974) after grants in Germany.
Unlike the Spring, the Sandero EV will be based on Renault Group's CMF-B platform. That chassis will also be used by the forthcoming Renault 5, a car the Sandero EV will reportedly share much in common with.
Unfortunately, while Dacia is keen to transition to electric it has no plans to launch in the US. A real shame given the lack of budget-friendly options in the North American market.