Currently the Dacia Spring holds in our country the title of most affordable electric car on the market. It is a model that has been able to reach this throne thanks to the fact that it is a model from emerging markets to which an electrical diagram has been adapted. If in Europe it is marketed as Dacia Spring, and in markets such as Brazil as Renault Kwid, now the model arrives in China under the name of Dongfeng Nano Box.
It does so, moreover, wanting to show off a more distinguished image than the one it has in Europe. And it is that In China, the segment of electric microcars is proving to be a true commercial goldmine for local manufacturersand given that the Chinese clientele’s perception of this type of product does not correspond to that of cheap cars in Europe, Chinese manufacturers allow themselves the luxury of offering more “posh” versions to satisfy those who looking for a more premium image but don’t want to get out of a very small car.
So the Dongfeng NanoBox It is essentially a Dacia Spring that has undergone an aesthetic restyling to adapt to the tastes of the Chinese market. This is reflected not only in the color combinations that exist for its exterior bodywork, but also in its interior, which shows great differences with respect to the European Spring.
If the Spring in Europe has a spartan interior, which does not seek to satisfy the customer on the design side but on the functional side, the Dongfeng Nano Box completely distances itself from it by radically changing its design. It maintains the position of key elements such as the air vents or the air conditioning controls, but now the bulging Spring dashboard disappears to make way for a slimmer, horizontal and low onein which two tablet-type screens take place as a dashboard and infotainment system screen.
The center console is also striking, as it emerges from the dashboard into the gap between the two seats, with a floating design reminiscent of other much higher priced electric cars, achieving that premium air that many Chinese manufacturers are looking for in this small segment. .
In its propulsion system we did not find changes. The same 33 kW electric motor (45 hp) continues to be the protagonist, and is powered by a small 27.4 kWh battery. Although in China an autonomy of up to 330 kilometers is announced based on the CLTC cycle, in Europe the Dacia Spring homologates 230 kilometers according to the WLTP, showing the gap that China suffers in the efficiency section.
Like the Dacia Spring, the Dongfeng NanoBox it has a knockdown price in China. According to Carscoops, the most affordable part starts at around 9,600 euros (about 8,000 euros more than in Europe), which has made in less than 24 hours accumulate more than 10,000 reservations.
Despite its economic concept, it is a model that is proving to be solvent as a daily car. Without going any further, yesterday in Hybrids and Electrics we echoed the case of a Spanish rural nurse who travels 200 kilometers a day with his Dacia Spring.
