The new Dacia Bigster will be offered with a four-wheel-drive, full-hybrid powertrain before the end of the year, according to the brand’s CEO Denis Le Vot, and there’s also a possibility the range-topping SUV may receive a plug-in hybrid powertrain down the road.
When orders open for the Bigster in March, it’ll be available with a Hybrid 155 set-up that uses a new 1.8-litre four-cylinder petrol engine mated to a six-speed automatic transmission, which works together with an electric motor that can drive the front wheels only.
The new 4×4 hybrid powertrain will get an additional electric motor on the rear axle to provide extra traction. The technology will be introduced on the Bigster’s little brother, the Dacia Duster, at the same time later this year, and does without the transfer boxes traditionally used by four-wheel-drive systems.
Dacia will continue its rollout of hybrid powertrains through 2025 and beyond, with the brand’s top boss confirming that the technology will be “growing more and more in the future”.
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.
