Romanian automaker Dacia believes that there are currently no truly affordable and people-focused cars on the market, so one needs to be invented. With its Hipster Concept, the company speculates about a cheap and utilitarian electric vehicle that offers plenty of value in a tiny package.
The Hipster EV is 3 meters (117.2 inches) long, 1.55 m (60.6 in) wide and 1.53 m (59.8 in) tall, looking almost perfectly square from behind. The boxy bodywork and non-existent overhangs ensure that the whole interior can be given a practical purpose. Although bordering on supermini dimensions, the prototype seats four adults and can carry up to 500 liters (17.66 cubic feet) of luggage. With all seats up, the available trunk space shrinks to just 70 liters (2.47 cubic feet). The tailgate consists of two horizontally hinged doors that swing open all the way to facilitate loading and unloading.
The flamboyant exterior aside, the car is rather plainly designed and weighs very little, Dacia claims. Specifically, it is around 20% lighter than the mass-produced Spring. This sounds like good news for electric range, but the company doesn’t speak directly about any figures. We are told that most users who would drive Hipster every day would only need to charge it up twice a week. Then again, Dacia’s earlier study revealed that 94% of drivers in France cover less than 40 km (25 miles) per day, so there’s that.
The interior looks just as ascetic and conceived with simplicity and utility in mind. The front seat row is represented by a solid bench, and the headrests are lightweight meshes.
Nothing is known about the powertrain or the production prospects at this time. Dacia points out 11 mounting points in the cabin for installing additional accessories, and says that you get a phone docking station for infotainment and a removable Bluetooth speaker for audio. It seems that a car like this won’t be reaching the assembly line anytime soon, but something similar might get released in the future if the current market trends continue.
