[TusharK]

Renault's sub-brand, Dacia, is all set to introduce the Duster AWD in 2025. The SUV will not have a conventional all-wheel drive setup though, as Denis Le Vot, CEO of Dacia, explains, “By the end of 2025, we will introduce a new hybrid solution for our 4x4 version.”



The new Duster AWD will be a hybrid with an electrified rear axle. This version will be positioned at the top of the range. It will be offered with an automatic transmission. The same all-wheel-drive hybrid setup is likely to be offered on the Bigster as well.

Le Vot mentioned that the Duster will also get an LPG option. “We will make it available at an affordable price, as is the Dacia way," he said.

Le Vot went on to state that an electric version of the Duster “will come in time”. It will be based on the next-generation model that is likely to arrive by 2031.

Meanwhile, the new-gen Duster is expected to be launched in India sometime next year.

Source: Autocar

Link to Team-BHP News

[svsantosh]

Brilliant packaging. Petrol for FWD, Electric/Hybrid/Battery DC Motor for rear wheels - sync them when a slippery situation arises. Hope they patent this idea.

Many years ago, someone had a Juggad/Chinese DC motor in their sedans/hatch retrofitted in Chennai. I recall seeing it someplace in Tbhp, not sure.

This can be a product saver for many ailing petrol Fwd car platforms. If the additional cost in around 2Lacs, I am game for a 4wd Hyundai sedan with Hybrid motor in the rear axle.

[whencut86]

Originally Posted by svsantosh

Brilliant packaging. Petrol for FWD, Electric/Hybrid/Battery DC Motor for rear wheels - sync them when a slippery situation arises. Hope they patent this idea.

Jeep Avenger 4xe has 2 electric engines for front and rear and a main petrol engine as well. So there are cars in the international market already. I doubt if we will get the hybrid AWD version in India though.

[Doge]

Originally Posted by svsantosh

Brilliant packaging. Petrol for FWD, Electric/Hybrid/Battery DC Motor for rear wheels - sync them when a slippery situation arises. Hope they patent this idea.

Many years ago, someone had a Juggad/Chinese DC motor in their sedans/hatch retrofitted in Chennai. I recall seeing it someplace in Tbhp, not sure.

This can be a product saver for many ailing petrol Fwd car platforms. If the additional cost in around 2Lacs, I am game for a 4wd Hyundai sedan with Hybrid motor in the rear axle.

Toyota/Lexus has had this system for a long while and it's really not comparable to a proper differential and transfer case, atleast in the case of this platform.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=o5WEX3...BsZXh1cw%3D%3D

[DicKy]

Originally Posted by svsantosh

Brilliant packaging. Petrol for FWD, Electric/Hybrid/Battery DC Motor for rear wheels - sync them when a slippery situation arises. Hope they patent this idea.

Toyota already has this. So not really something to be patented. In India, guess it is the Vellfire that gets this type of AWD system.

Originally Posted by Doge

Toyota/Lexus has had this system for a long while and it's really not comparable to a proper differential and transfer case, atleast in the case of this platform.

Yep. Even the normal FWDish AWD systems with proper differential/prop shafts in Toyotas and Hondas perform poorly in these roller tests or in demanding conditions. Little power goes to the rear wheels. Let alone these electric motor sitting on rear axle ones.

From these roller tests, the ones that are capable are those of Audi (not sure of the newer ones), Subaru and surprisingly Suzuki. Yep, the one we get in the Grand Vitara is a capable AWD system.

[arjab]

This is a good setup being considered by Renault in India.
If they can get the packaging right, as the battery pack & motor setup for the rear axle may eat into bootspace, and come up with a reasonable price delta over the two wheel drive model, this variant will be an excellent choice for those looking at an AWD.
The weight savings will be beneficial as well as you do not require the heavy, longitudinal propellor shaft for front to rear power transfer.

The e-Axle has been around for quite some time now. If my memory serves me right, Aisin did a lot of R&D with Toyota to develop e-Axles and launched it in the Japan only, top-of-the-line Toyota Crown, way back in the early 1990's.
In fact Aisin is considered to be the forerunner in the e-Axle supplier industry having successfully developed electric 4WD setups for various models such as the Toyota Prius, Noah and Voxy and various other Toyota models over the years.

Interestingly Tata Motors will also launch their Harrier EV with an AWD setup and the vendor, in all probability, will be Aisin too.
If Renault also opts for Aisin, the supplier will become the de-facto king of the transmission & driveline supply market in India! They already supply their automatic transmissions to several OEM's in India which have a proven track record of reliability and I'm sure that'll play a major role in pushing their AWD e-Axle units!

[DicKy]

Originally Posted by arjab

The e-Axle has been around for quite some time now. If my memory serves me right, Aisin did a lot of R&D with Toyota to develop e-Axles and launched it in the Japan only, top-of-the-line Toyota Crown, way back in the early 1990's.

Not sure if they were electric axles. The 90s Toyota AWD systems were full time AWD, just that the power transfer depended on the ABS unit, accelerator steering angles etc. So they had typical AWD mechanical underpinnings, but the power transfer was controlled by the ECU or ABS unit (not sure which one). Anyways, the Crown got hybrid engines only in the late 2000s, so no way it could have an electric axle in the early 90s.

Any Crown that has E-Four E axles shall be the new crossover ones.

[dileepcm]

Originally Posted by svsantosh

Brilliant packaging. Petrol for FWD, Electric/Hybrid/Battery DC Motor for rear wheels - sync them when a slippery situation arises. Hope they patent this idea.

This technology has been around for over a decade and is widely used by Toyota across various models. My Lexus NX300H, a 2016 model here in the Netherlands, features this type of AWD system. Other examples include the RAV4 AWD and Yaris Cross AWD. Beyond Toyota, it's highly likely that many other brands also utilize similar setups.

[amol4184]

Also its not real AWD in the sense there is no transfer case or clutch. Subaru makes it a point to tell people that their cars do indeed have real AWD even in hybrid models and that it drives better. On the plus side these e-axle systems get better mileage than real AWD so the tradeoff is worth it in FE obsessed countries like ours.