Dacia Spring concept foreshadows Europe’s most affordable EV

Romanian car brand Dacia has taken the wraps off what it says will be Europe’s most affordable electric vehicle, reaching into the Renault family tree to offer the Spring, a colorful, pint-size city-car crossover EV. Technically, this is a concept vehicle, originally targeted for the Geneva Motor Show. But Dacia says it foreshadows a production vehicle, and its first full electric vehicle, to launch in early 2021.

And that shouldn’t be too much of a stretch, since it’s essentially a rebadged Renault Kwid or City K-ZE, depending on which overseas market we’re talking about, with some fluorescent orange accents added and a redesigned faux grille. But while those cars burn gasoline, the Spring will be all-electric, with a top range of more than 200 kilometers (124 miles) in European WLTP testing. That’s the only information on offer about the electric powertrain, but Dacia says it plans to leverage the Renault’s existing expertise in operating the continent’s largest battery-electric car-sharing fleet with models like the Zoe minicar and Kangoo Z.E. cargo van.

The only dimension mentioned is length, at 3.73 meters (146.85 inches). That’s the same as the Kwid, which is also 1,579 mm (62.2 inches) wide and 1,474 mm (58 inches) high without a roof rail, with a wheel base of 2,422 mm (95.3 inches). For reference, that makes the Spring smaller on all dimensions than the U.S. versions of the Fiat 500.

The funky addition of the matte orange accents all around against the “pastel mouse grey” body calls to mind the Nissan Kicks and its “Color Studio” line of configurable roofs, side mirrors, door handles and so forth. It has LED headlights arranged horizontally on the upper section and built into the bumper, and in the double-Y tail lamps.

The Spring will presumably aim to undercut entry-level EVs like the Volkswagen e-UP and the Seat Mii Electric. We’ll find out more about pricing closer to the launch.