Dacia Hipster Concept aims to redefine affordable electric mobility
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Renault’s low-cost brand Dacia has unveiled its Hipster Concept, a compact electric prototype positioned as an affordable European alternative to budget Chinese city cars. With a target price below €15,000, the vehicle reflects Dacia’s ambition to reinvent what it calls “the people’s car” for the electric age.
For eeNews Europe readers, the Hipster Concept offers insight into how design simplification, lightweight engineering, and regulatory change could reshape Europe’s entry-level EV segment.
Lightweight design for affordable mobility
The three-metre-long Hipster Concept combines four real seats and an adjustable boot capacity ranging from 70 to 500 litres in a vehicle that weighs 20% less than Dacia’s existing Spring model. Dacia aims to halve the car’s overall carbon footprint compared with current electric vehicles, relying on a simplified construction and recycled materials such as Starkle, used for body protection and exterior panels.
“The Hipster Concept has everything you could want in an everyday vehicle, measuring just 3 metres long, 1.53 metres high and 1.55 metres wide: four proper seats and a boot that can be adjusted from 70 to 500 litres,” said Stéphanie Chiron, Dacia Advanced Product Manager.
EU regulation could unlock small car category
The Hipster Concept aligns with ongoing efforts by Renault and Stellantis to persuade the European Union to establish a new “small car” category, loosely inspired by Japan’s Kei Cars. This class would relax certain regulatory requirements, especially around safety features, allowing manufacturers to reduce both vehicle weight and cost.
Proponents argue that simplified safety and feature standards are practical for city-focused cars. Dacia’s design director David Durand said that any new regulation would likely require local European production: “The regulations will also surely require the vehicle to be produced in Europe. We also need to develop the industrial model that goes with it.”
“This is the most Dacia-esque project I have ever worked on. It has the same societal impact as the Logan did 20 years ago. And it involves inventing something that does not exist today,” said Romain Gauvin, Head of Advanced Design at Dacia.
Affordable EVs for a cost-conscious market
Dacia estimates that new car prices in Europe have risen by more than 60% since 2001, widening the gap between consumer affordability and regulatory ambition. If approved, the Hipster could potentially spearhead a new generation of lightweight, low-cost EVs designed for urban and suburban use, bridging the affordability divide in Europe’s transition to electric mobility.
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