[Mark07]

Only a couple of weeks ago, I was saying that I thought the EV market would benefit from a few 'cheap' options, and now Dacia have delivered.

Dacia have announced the new Spring EV for only £14,995.

OK, the entry level model has 44bhp and a range of upto 137 miles - it's hardly a grand tourer. But most UK drivers don't need a GT.

I've personally felt that the major stumbling block for many EV's has been the price point, not anymore.

Source: https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/n...t-electric-car

[Rolebama]

Two of my friends have Dacias which have been trouble-free: One over five years from new, and the other three years from new. The range is an improvement from the three EVs Top Gear had a few years ago. I think a more detailed review/road test in the future would be the decider. I am not sure that 44bhp is a selling point nowadays though, and I am not a fan of the style.

[Grimm]

Dacia's introduction of the Spring EV at £14,995 presents a compelling option to address the affordability concerns within the EV market, potentially reshaping the landscape for prospective buyers. You can find more information about it by visiting below source.

Source: <removed>

[NMNeil]

If only they would be available here in the US.
But unfortunately the mention of Renault may have buyers very reluctant.
On a side-note, the reason many European cars never made it into the US was our emissions regulations. Now that the cars are electric that may be cause for a rethink by the manufacturers.

[Mark07]

Originally Posted by NMNeil

If only they would be available here in the US.

Do you think the US market is becoming more receptive to 'smaller' European cars?

From what i understand, the Prius was a big hit on both sides of the pond. Yet by comparison to the F150 (and others) I would imagine that the Prius, and now the Dacia, would be seen as smaller car over there.

[NMNeil]

The Prius was a brief hit as it appeared in a few movies, so California jumped on the bandwagon and everyone wanted one, same thing happened with the PT Cruiser and the new style VW bug/beetle. But the fad soon ended.
Top selling cars in the US.
Toyota RAV 4
Tesla Model Y
Honda CRV
Toyota Camry
Nissan Rogue
So there's an appetite for the smaller cars, maybe because even here petrol is getting expensive and parking spaces are being reduced or eliminated and open war has been declared on large trucks and SUV's in cities.
https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2022/08/...treets-by-2024
Many US cities have also eliminated the minimum parking requirements for new residential buildings
To explain. It used to be if you put up a new residential building you needed x number of parking spaces calculated from the number of residents. Now for many cities that number is 0.
The argument being that in a city with decent public transport there's no need to own a car that will sit in a parking space 90% of the time. Better to use the 5,500 square miles now used for parking for housing instead.
https://www.wired.com/story/us-cities-are-falling-out-of-love-with-the-parking-lot/

"May you live in interesting times"

Old Chinese curse.

[Mark07]

Ford are also expected to release an EV which is expected to be more moderately priced (£20K).

This is surely another positive sign for consumers who are open to buying an EV, but have been turned off by the premium pricing.

I wonder how many years it'll be until the first big car companies stop producing ICE's?

I believe that the EU stopped the production of leaded petrol cars in 1993, and the sale of leaded petrol ended ~2000.

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/n...320000-ev-2026