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Dacia Duster to Get Hybrid Version as a Way to Lower Emissions

The Dacia always has a hard time balancing its economy brand roots with the need to add features and diversify. The latest struggle it faces is a need to lower overall emissions, as new regulations are coming to Europe in about a year.
Dacia Duster to Get Hybrid Version as a Way to Lower Emissions 1 photo
Photo: Dacia
Sure, Dacia doesn't make gas-guzzling V8s, but its engines are sometimes rudimentary, or they have been up until this point. Gone is the base 1.6-liter, and pretty soon, we might have a hybrid joining the model range.

This has been a rumor since Renault picked up the brand. However, it makes more sense now than ever. A new report from Bloomberg magazine states that the Romanian brand is considering a hybrid SUV, which could be a Duster variant, as a way to bring those CO2 levels to the 80 grams threshold.

The company wouldn't confirm anything outright, but Renault’s chief of sales, Olivier Murguet, stated that "It’s hard to imagine that Dacia would remain on the sidelines of the movement."

We actually think the formula is pretty simple since Dacia almost always uses outdated Renault technology. The most suitable system we can think of belongs to the new Clio 5 hatchback. This unit uses a 1.6-liter gasoline engine paired to two electric motors and a 1.2 kWh battery. Using the regenerative braking system, Renault says the new Clio can “drive up to 80% of the time in all-electric mode in the city, for a gain of up to 40% in fuel consumption compared with a conventional internal-combustion petrol engine in an urban cycle.”

The Duster has always been closely linked to the development of the Clio. But there's another solution within the group, and it's the Nissan Note e-Power. It's not a hybrid, but an EV with a range extender. The wheels are powered only by electricity while 1.2-liter 3-cylinder charges up the battery by running at an almost constant 2,500rpm. It's said to get Prius-like fuel economy ratings but is only sold in Japan.
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About the author: Mihnea Radu
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Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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