Romanian automobile producer Dacia received 1,500 orders for its first electric model, Spring, in the first four hours after officially putting it on sale, Ziarul Financiar reported.

This is more than the total volume of e-vehicles sold in Romania in 2019. Over 6,000 users accessed the local website where the company accepts online orders on March 21, at 13:00, when the pre-ordering campaign began. Those who placed orders will not receive their cars before September.

In 2019, Romanian individuals and companies bought 1,500 electric cars. In 2020, the market rose to almost 2,900. In the first two months of this year, the volume rose by another 30% compared to the same period of 2020. This year's volume will mainly depend on the total value of state subsidies for e-vehicle purchases.

The Romanian state offers EUR 10,000 vouchers for electric vehicle purchases through the Rabla Plus program. In the case of Dacia Spring, which has a starting price of EUR 18,100, the state subsidies cover more than 50% of the car price. Thus, Romanians can buy this model for less than EUR 10,000.

The only electric vehicle that is approaching the price in Romania is the Volkswagen e-Up !, which has a list price of EUR 24,000 and can be bought under the Government's subsidies program for EUR 14,000. 

(Photo courtesy of the company)

andrei@romania-insider.com