Dacia to champion combustion engines until 2035

Dacia will continue to offer combustion-powered vehicles for at least two more generations, despite parent Renault Group’s rapid transition to an all-electric brand.

Speaking to journalists at the Paris motor show, the Romanian car-maker’s boss Denis Le Vot said that Dacia – which is expected to launch in Australia in 2024, under Renault badges – would step up to become a champion of internal combustion engines (ICE) within the group, at least until European bans take effect in 2035.

“There’s two generations of car, two generations until 2035. So, we are going to continue developing all the ICE technologies while injecting, of course, electrification as needed, starting with a hybrid in a few months,” he said.

According to Le Vot, the motivation to continue to back petrol and diesel engines against the trend of mass adoption of all-electric powertrains is the budget brand’s continued presence in markets outside of Europe.

Describing the combustion engine as the “best fit for international markets” – which presumably includes Australia – Le Vot said that Dacia would still move to embrace electrification but it would be a “step by step” process that would not happen at the same speed as what’s happening in Europe.

He said the brand can take a far more relaxed stance when it comes to embracing zero-emissions tech as it’s being developed on its behalf elsewhere within the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi empire.

“Being part of the [Renault] Group and being the frontrunner of the electric [movement] in Europe means everything is on the shelf,” he said.

“So, my job is to make the right choice at the last moment, but only at the last moment, because the more you wait, the more clever you are in terms of what’s going to be the real solution on the market.”

Even when the long-anticipated Euro 7 emissions regulations are introduced, which some rivals tip will kill off cheap combustion-powered cars, Le Vot is still confident Dacia will continue to sell keenly-priced petrol-powered cars.

“We can go quick on electrification, but what are you going to sell in Poland, in the centre of France, in the centre of Spain or in the Greek islands? The price of electric vehicles means not everyone can afford them. That’s the reason why until 2035 we will sell two generations of cars with ICE,” he said.

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