Dacia launches first hybrid on Jogger compact SUV

PARIS — Dacia will start taking orders in January for the Renault Group brand’s first hybrid powertrain option, available on the Jogger compact crossover.

The Jogger full-hybrid will use Renault Group’s E-Tech hybrid system, which is based on a 90 hp 1.6-liter 4-cylinder gasoline engine with two electric motors that produce a total of 50 hp. A 1.2 kilowatt-hour battery is installed under the rear seat.

Base price will be 24,600 euros ($26,140) in France, making the hybrid Jogger the most expensive Dacia model. Nonhybrid models start at 16,990 euros in France. Deliveries are set for March, Dacia said this week.

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The hybrid model, called the Jogger Hybrid 140, has emissions starting from 108 grams per km of CO2, compared with 118-130 g/km for nonhybrid Jogger models. Dacia says the hybrid version can travel 900 km on a single tank of gasoline in the WLTP mixed cycle.

In keeping with Dacia’s strategy of using proven Renault-Nissan Alliance technology, the Jogger will use the E-Tech hybrid system four years after it first appeared on the Renault Clio in 2019. It is available in similar configuration on the Renault Captur small SUV and Arkana compact crossover. 

The latest E-Tech system, with a smaller gasoline engine and larger electric motor and battery that gives lower CO2 emissions, debuts on the Renault Austral compact SUV.
 

The Jogger, which was launched last March, has been a success for Dacia as it seeks to move slightly upscale while still keeping prices thousands of euros less than the competition. 

Dacia said it has received 83,000 orders for the Romania-built Jogger, with 51,000 deliveries. Some two-thirds of orders are for the highest-trim level, Dacia says, and 55 percent of buyers choose the seven-seat model (five seats are standard).

About two-thirds of Jogger customers opt for a LPG dual-fuel model with 100 hp, with LPG prices in Europe approximately 50 percent less per liter than unleaded gasoline. 

Compact crossover/SUVs with full-hybrid options include two Renault models: the Arkana, a fastback crossover that starts at 31,800 euros in France; and the Austral hybrid, at 39,900. Nissan’s Qashqai hybrid, which uses the E-Power system that is different than Renault’s, starts at 31,300 euros. Toyota has two hybrid models in the segment: The C-HR crossover starts at 32,750 euros in France, while the larger RAV-4 starts at 44,500 euros.

The segment was led in the first half by the Hyundai Tucson, with 78,160 sales through July.