That has significant implications for the Duster, which is very close in size to the 4. The Duster is one of the most affordable 4x4s currently on sale and will no doubt be pitched similarly in the electric era, when it will compete against the likes of Fiat’s upcoming Grande Panda 4×4 and Toyota’s ‘baby’ Land Cruiser.
In the shorter term, Dacia will add a new range-topping hybrid 4×4 version of the third-generation Duster (which was launched towards the end of 2024) later this year. An electrified back axle will give it all-wheel drive to challenge the Jeep Avenger 4xe.
The Duster is set to be the second of Dacia’s current model line-up to gain an EV, after the Sandero hatchback, which is due a battery-electric option as it moves into its next generation in 2027.
But before that, Dacia will launch a pair of new C-segment models to sit alongside the Bigster at the top of the line-up as part of the firm’s push to claim a share of Europe’s busiest and fastest-growing market segment. Dacia has not confirmed any details of these two new cars, but they are expected to be ICE-powered initially, given that they’re due in dealerships by 2027.
A £15,000 electric city car to replace the Spring is also due to be launched next year and, unlike its predecessor, it will be built in Europe for the local market – most likely alongside the upcoming Renault Twingo on which it will be based.
As with the Sandero, the Duster is expected to continue in its current ICE-powered guise past the end of the decade, with the EV being added as a powertrain option, rather than a replacement. Parent company Renault does the same with the ICE-powered Clio and similarly sized electric 5, which use CMF-B and CMF-BEV respectively.
Dacia has not said whether it plans to build electric and ICE-powered cars at the same factory. However, it touts the commonality between its current core models as instrumental in keeping prices down, because it is able to build all of them on the same line and thus save significantly in production costs. It is likely to pursue the same approach in the electric era.