Automakers hate regulations. Whether it’s safety- or efficiency-related, regulations essentially define all restrictions for designs, equipment, and powertrains. Regulations provide the framework that automakers must follow if they want to make a car they can sell on the road. Most of the time, adhering to those regulations means lots of added costs, whether that’s from extra engineering, differing design, or added equipment. All of that stuff makes cars more complex and usually heavier.
Dacia, the Romanian manufacturer known for building the cheapest car in Europe, has a new concept that subverts those ideas. On first glance, you’d think the Hipster, a blocky, tall hatchback with small wheels, a stubby nose, and near-zero overhangs, was meant for the streets of Japan. It looks like a Kei car lifted straight from 2033. But it’s not—this funky hatch is meant for European roads.
The Hipster is a proof-of-concept idea to show consumers and lawmakers alike what’s possible for the cheap EV segment when manufacturers are unburdened with certain safety and tech regulations that have made many of today’s modern EVs so heavy and complex. It prioritizes simplicity and lightweight construction to drive costs down and improve efficiency. It’s the type of EV people should be demanding from automakers and regulators alike.
The Hipster is 20 percent lighter than the company’s current production EV (and the cheapest EV in Europe), the Spring. It’s also physically small, being shorter than the current Fiat 500e. Compared to today’s average EV, the tiny hatch costs less to run and delivers a smaller total carbon footprint, because it needs less raw material and less energy to build.
Despite that, the Hipster can fit four adults and “meet the real needs” of customers when it comes to range. Dacia doesn’t specify a battery size, but says it can swing “daily journeys” with just two recharges per week. The company then notes that in France, 94% of drivers travel less than 24 miles per day (in America, that number is much higher, at 42 miles, per Axios).
The Hipster’s interior is similarly bare-bones. The hard plastic-riddled cabin has next to nothing in the way of equipment, aside from a portrait-style screen in front of the driver for essential functions. There’s a mount for your smartphone on the dashboard, which also serves as the car’s audio hub (there’s only one speaker, a removable Bluetooth unit that also mounts to the dash).
It’s impossible not to draw a connection between the Hipster and Japan’s class of Kei vehicles. These small, similarly shaped hatchbacks have been in this game for decades, delivering lots of practicality in slim, tall packages in a way that maximizes efficiency and value. Dacia’s goal with the Hipster is to present a vehicle to the wide audience of buyers who can’t afford anything currently on the market. The company notes that “the average price of new vehicles in Europe rose by 77% between 2010 and 2024, far outpacing household purchasing power.”
Whether Dacia can push this ethos onto European roads is a matter of, well, regulations. From Autocar:
The concept is driveable and finished to a level that’s close to what could be expected of a near-production prototype, but Dacia bosses wouldn’t commit to a potential launch date, with the car’s viability ultimately contingent on a hospitable legislative environment.
[Chief designer David Durand] said: “I hope we will find a way through the regulation, through all the aspects. There is also an industrial risk: are we sure that there are enough customers to buy it, and is it still a field that is really our specialty?
“There are questions to solve, but this car is feasible. We are not far [away]: we have some regulation problems to solve and some answers to come from the regulators, but there is no big reason why it shouldn’t be feasible at the right price, the right weight, the right everything.”
If I had to choose between a car that’s simpler, lighter, and cheaper versus a car that’s more complex, heavier, and more expensive, I’d choose the first option every time. Not only would it save me money, but it’d also be less harsh on the environment and, theoretically, more fun to drive. At a time when people are paying more and more for everyday essentials, cars like this make a ton of sense for shoppers and automakers alike. Whether they can squeeze through regulations is the big question.
For the sake of affordability, I sure hope the Hipster becomes reality. Also, I’d just like to see it on the road because it looks cool. I can have two reasons for wanting something to exist.
Top graphic image: Dacia
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looks like my scion xb. it is interesting. wonder what regs it doesn’t meet. not every car has to a safety tank.
I guess one solution to people not being able to afford vehicles that pass regulations is changing the regulations so you can sell them a death trap. That way when they’re in an unfortunate crash they won’t be alive to not afford a vehicle anymore. Problem solved!
I didn’t know this existed until now. But I do want one. As a kei/generally small car lover who also wants an EV for a commuter… yes please. I currently drive about 100 miles a week and as a second car range is almost irrelevant to me. I can drive my Mazda if I have any concerns about longer trips.
What’s in a name… I could never drive around in a car called the hipster. Beatnik, however….
The turn signals could make finger snapping sounds.
Looks like a more boxy vinfast vf3 to me. $10k in Vietnam. I’m a fan of box cars and kei cars. So I would love to see more vehicles like this on the road. Looks like a practical city or suburban car. Hope they make it.
More than a kei-car, it makes me think to a chinese LSEV. It’s about the same dimensions as a Wuling Mini EV, which had the success we know. European and chinese market are vastly different, especially in term of availability of used cars and number of first-buyers, so it would be a big strech to say the Hipster could do as well as the Mini EV, but it’s still an encouraging fact.
I think if the UE allows them to build the car as-is, to use highways, and they can make it cheap anough to sell close to 10k€ and have a break even low enough (like 30k cars per year) they will give it a try
Great concept, shame about the name.
Yeah anyone who isn’t a hipster probably doesn’t want to drive around in a Hipster, and even hipsters might think it’s too on-the-nose.