OFFROADER BORN FOR THE VERY RUGGED OUTDOORS

Dacia Manifesto Concept

                                        Source:  Dacia Manifesto

Electric SUV With Minimal Environmental Footprint

Just when you thought you've seen the ultimate in rugged, off-roading vehicles, take a look at this formidable electric off-roader.  It's from the Renault design group Dacia and is called the Manifesto.  It was just unveiled at the Paris Auto Show.  The EV SUV has a robust, eco-smart design and is doorless to keep passengers part of and open to the environment.  Dacia claims the Manifesto has a minimal environmental footprint.  The vehicle looks like a cross between a Moon rover and a cool, fun vehicle to enjoy the great outdoors.  The innovative design team calls it a transition point from smallish, everyday EV's to more rugged, highly capable lifestyle vehicles.  

Environmental Plusses

The all-electric SUV is designed to be ultra-compact, very open and feather lightweight.  The design team added some very innovative touches to make it more environmentally friendly beyond its zero-emissions electric powertrain.  All of the vehicle's plastic parts are made of recycled materials.  The interior materials are sustainable and include a lot of natural cork.  The entire vehicle, inside and out, is waterproof and can be hosed down and cleaned with water.  The EV is aerodynamically designed to deliver agility rather than speed.  Incredibly, the seat coverings are removable and can be converted into sleeping bags.

What's Next?

Dacia created the Manifesto to demonstrate what is possible in a ultra-rugged, lightweight, off-roading SUV.  While they don't, at this moment, intend to put it into production, they do intend to incorporate many of its components and innovations into their upcoming new vehicles.  Dacia was founded in 1966 in Romania and has a long history in the automotive industry.  It became part of Renault in 1999.  For more news stories like this, Breakthrough Concept Cars 2020's

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