Renault Scenic reborn as electric SUV – report

Renault is planning a new electric SUV that sits above the Megane E-Tech Electric, and it will wear a familiar nameplate: View.

CEO Luca de Meo told Auto Express The Scenic will no longer be an MPV in its next generation and the new model will offer more space and range than the new Electric Megane will be available here next year.

The Scenic E-Tech Electric, as it is fully known, is expected to go on sale in 2024 and serve as the brand’s rival to the Volkswagen ID.4 and Skoda Enyaq.

It could debut as a concept this May.

The new electric Scenic is said to share the CMF-EV platform with the smaller Megane E-Tech Electric, Ariya from Alliance partner Nissan and upcoming Alpine GT X-Over.

However, don’t expect a third row of seats. Gilles Le Borgne, Renault’s executive vice president of engineering, told Auto Express the platform will support dual-engine full-time four-wheel drive but will not support three rows.

It is not clear whether Renault will eventually develop a version of the CMF-EV platform to support the three-row vehicle. That would allow it to replace the current Grand Scenic and Espace, which have been rumored to be chopped down for a while.

Expect a strong family resemblance to the Megane E-Tech Electric, which, as we’ve seen with the internal combustion engine, is coming Austral crossover will replace Kadjar.

Expect a similar interior, with a choice of recycled materials. The electric Megane uses a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a vertical 12-inch touchscreen infotainment system.

Built on top of Google’s Android Automotive platform, Renault’s new system is called OpenR Link. It can be updated over the air and supports the kinds of gestures familiar to iPhone or Android phone users.

The Megane E-Tech Electric offers a choice of two batteries and two powertrains, which can also be used by Scenic.

There’s a good 40kWh battery for 300km range in the Megane and a good 60kWh battery for 470km.

Two powertrains will be offered: one with 96kW of power and 250Nm of torque, and another with 165kW and 300Nm.

Plugged into a home wall AC box, Megane can charge up to 22kW. It will charge up to 130kW when plugged into a DC public fast charger.

Renault has led the MPV car market in the European market. Espace essentially invented the MPV segment in Europe, while Scenic popularized the small MPV segment and spawned a host of rivals.

But the two long-running lines fell out of favor as European buyers, like everyone else, began to embrace crossovers. Renault’s efforts to give cars a less boxy, more dynamic look with their latest generations have been unable to stem this decline in sales.

Renault sold 36,592 Scenic and Grand Scenic models in Europe in 2020, less than half of its 2017 total. Rewind to 2005, and Renault has sold more than 300,000 units of its compact MPV.

Small MPVs have never really resonated with Australian buyers. Scenic was sold here for two generations but was banished in 2009, and has been effectively replaced by Koleos SUV car.

The Scenic has received “SUV treatment” in the past, with one such iteration – the Scenic RX4 – also on sale here.

It offers all-wheel drive, rich black plastic cladding and even a rear-door-mounted spare wheel, though it has never posed a serious threat to age-old SUVs. as Toyota RAV4.