Renault's Dacia to take on Dakar Rally with Loeb and Aramco e-fuel

PARIS : Dacia, the low-cost brand of Renault, said on Monday it will participate as a manufacturer in the Dakar Rally in 2025 with a prototype running on synthetic fuel produced by Saudi Aramco and driven by Sebastien Loeb.

Loeb, a nine-time world rally champion, and Spanish driver Cristina Gutierrez Herrero will officially race for Dacia from 2024 during test phases in the Morocco rally.

Renault and Saudi Aramco, along with Chinese carmaker Geely, are also teamed in a company set up to produce internal combustion as well as hybrid engines. The company was spun off from Renault as the French carmaker focuses on the transition to electric vehicles.

The e-fuel that Dacia will use is made from combining hydrogen produced from renewable energy with captured CO2, resulting in a low-carbon fuel, Dacia said in a media release.