Car manufacturers from all over the world are facing stricter emissions rules. Some have already upgraded their powertrains with new technologies to make them friendlier to the environment, whereas others (most of them, actually) have gone down the electrification route.
Dacia, which has been owned by Renault for the past two decades, has done neither of the above. As a result, it could face some serious fines in Europe if it doesn’t do anything about it soon. So, what should they do? Bloomberg reports that a hybrid SUV appears to be under consideration and it should help the Romanian brand lower its overall carbon dioxide emissions.
Also Read: Mystery Dacia Duster EV Race Car Spotted Near Arctic Circle
For now, nobody outside Dacia knows anything else, but the news outlet spoke to Renault’s chief of sales, Olivier Murguet, who believes the electric revolution is inevitable for the budget car brand. “It’s hard to imagine that Dacia would remain on the sidelines of the movement”, said Murguet.
Electrifying the Duster seems like the easiest way to bring Dacia into the modern era of car-making, and they could already be on this track, given the mysterious prototype scooped earlier this year by our spy photographers. However, that one was actually a battery-electric race car and not a hybrid, so who knows, maybe Dacia is taking a step beyond the expected approach. They would also benefit from Renault-Nissan’s expertise in the field. If we were to take a guess, we wouldn’t rule out an electric model launching in the next few years.