RENAULT has the Twingo. Dacia has the Springo. At least that’s what I’m calling it.
Dacia is binning off the super low-cost Spring shipped from China and replacing it with a European-built EV using 75 per cent Twingo parts.
So. Much more like it.
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I’m expecting Springo to cost a little under £14k if it gets the full electric car grant. About £2k more than today’s Chinese biscuit tin – and almost £2k less than a Twingo.
All of the things you can’t see are from Twingo including the LFP battery, e-motor, suspension, electrics and seat frames and the two cars will be built side-by-side at the Twingo factory in Slovenia.
As for the cabin, Springo has its own dashboard fascia, steering wheel and upholstery. But otherwise the controls and onboard computer are much the same.
There are a few Dacia touches that shine through. Like a frunk (front trunk) for storing the charging cable and a boot protector with a fold-out flap for muddy paws.
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The lights are clever too. The LED bulbs at the top of the cluster shine down on to a reflector.
A nice effect which costs less and uses less energy. Very Dacia.
The design team also kept Twingo’s car park crash pads on all four corners.
We haven’t driven Springo yet but the numbers say 80hp and 155 miles from a full charge. Probably just enough for a runaround.
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Dacia claims Spring owners average 13 miles a day.
By the way, an LFP battery (lithium ion phosphate) doesn’t use nickel and cobalt commonly used in other batteries. So it is kinder to the planet and can be charged repeatedly to 100 per cent.
Like the Volkswagen ID Polo it also doubles as a giant power bank.
Springo arrives next spring-o.
DACIA SPRING
Key Facts
- Price: £13,990
- Battery: 27.5kWh
- Power: 80hp
- 0-62mph: 12.1 secs
- Top speed: 81mph
- Range: 155 miles
- Charging: 28 mins
- Out: Spring