Dacia Bigster to be brand’s first PHEV… but not any time soon

Dacia will continue its rollout of hybrid powertrains through 2025 and beyond, with CEO Denis Le Vot confirming the technology will be “growing more and more in the future” – including the possibility of a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrain for the flagship Bigster SUV.

In an exclusive interview, Le Vot told Auto Express that his team will continue to utilise all the parts available to them, insisting that parent company Renault has “all the solutions” – from ICE (internal-combustion engines), to hybrid, plug-in hybrid and fully electric.

“We recoup the assets developed by the [Renault] Group,” Le Vot told us. “We put them back and make our own soup with the leftovers. We make good business with that for us, and for the clients and we manage, as a whole, the CO2 emissions of the Group.”

Le Vot told us the 1.0-litre TCe turbo (as found in the Jogger and Duster) and even the 1.6 HEV are too small for the Bigster. It’s for this reason that Dacia is utilising a new 1.8-litre hybrid in its flagship SUV – an engine born from the so-called ‘Horse’ joint venture formed in 2024 by Renault and Geely to develop new electrified powertrains.

We asked Le Vot if there might be space for Renault Group, Dacia or Horse to develop a plug-in hybrid powertrain for the Bigster and he said: “We have plug-in hybrids in the company. PHEV is in the panorama, but maybe not tomorrow morning.”

So while a plug-in hybrid is possible – and likely – its introduction doesn’t appear imminent. In 2022, Dacias accounted for a significant 7.6 per cent of the European retail market, and with so few financial incentives available to private customers, there is seemingly less reason for Le Vot to push ahead with PHEV – at least while he’s able to pool Renault’s EV mix and meet the necessary ZEV (zero-emission vehicle) mandates.

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