Anabelle Colaco
07 Oct 2025, 10:23 GMT+10
MEUDON, France: Renault's low-cost brand Dacia unveiled a prototype electric city car priced below 15,000 euros (US$17,625), aiming to counter a wave of inexpensive Chinese EVs flooding Europe.
The three-metre-long "Hipster Concept" weighs under 800 kilograms and could become the continent's smallest production car if the European Union approves a new vehicle category for ultra-compact city cars. Leapmotor's T03, the shortest EV currently on sale in Europe, is 62 centimetres longer.
Dacia CEO Katrin Adt, who joined from Mercedes-Benz, described the Hipster as "a concept of Dacia's bold vision for local, affordable and everyday mobility."
"If the opportunity to mass produce it arises, we are ready," she said.
The Hipster is designed to be radically simple and cheap. The box-shaped three-door car has canvas seats, manual windows, minimal electronics, and door straps instead of handles. Its top speed is around 90 kilometres per hour (56 mph), and its estimated range is 150 km, well above the 40-km average daily distance driven in Europe, according to Dacia data.
Adt said the stripped-down design reflects the company's commitment to making EVs attainable again. Dacia estimates the average price of a new car in Europe rose 63 percent between 2001 and 2020, pricing many buyers out of the market.
"The regulations will also surely require the vehicle to be produced in Europe," Dacia design chief David Durand told Reuters. "We also need to develop the industrial model that goes with it."
Get a daily dose of Arizona Herald news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Arizona Herald.
More InformationMEUDON, France: Renault's low-cost brand Dacia unveiled a prototype electric city car priced below 15,000 euros (US$17,625), aiming...
NEW YORK, New York - U.S. stock markets closed Monday on a mixed note, with tech stocks leading gains on Wall Street while blue-chip...
OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma: As the U.S. government remained shut down on October 3, Native American communities across the country watched...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: Apple and Google have blocked downloads of several smartphone apps that crowdsource sightings of U.S. immigration...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: Wall Street traders, Federal Reserve officials, and economists alike were left in the dark Friday morning when the...
SAN FRANCISCO, California: ChatGPT-maker OpenAI will soon roll out new tools allowing copyright owners to control how their characters...
OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma: As the U.S. government remained shut down on October 3, Native American communities across the country watched...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: On the morning of October 2, as thousands of federal employees remained at home facing furloughs and the looming...
(Photo credit: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images) Mariners first baseman Josh Naylor isn't with the team in Detroit as Seattle gets ready...
(Photo credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images) The Miami Hurricanes have knocked off three ranked opponents through their first five games...
(Photo credit: Robert Edwards-Imagn Images) The NHL suspended Tampa Bay Lightning forward Scott Sabourin for four games Monday for...
(Photo credit: Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images) Joey Slye converted a 29-yard field goal as time expired...
