Renault to introduce electric Kadjar successor in 2022
Renault is working on a new all-electric SUV model to be unveiled at the Paris Motor Show in 2022 and launched in 2023, according to a British media report. The new Renault BEV is to use the Alliance CMF-EV platform.
As the magazine Auto Express reports, citing information from development board member Gilles Le Borgne, the new electric SUV is to be positioned between the two previously known models based on the CMF-EV, the Renault Mégane E-Tech and the Nissan Ariya. With this orientation, the as yet unnamed vehicle is expected to replace the internal combustion Renault Kadjar model.
The Kadjar was introduced in 2015 and is based on the CMF platform. The SUV is around 4.45 metres long with a 2.65 metre wheelbase, 1.84 metres wide and around 1.60 metres high. For comparison: with a similar width, the Nissan Ariya is around 15 centimetres longer, and the electric Mégane presented at the IAA in September is 4.21 metres long. For the electric SUV, this would probably result in a length of between 4.40 and 4.50 metres.
As Le Borgne said in an interview, the CMF-EV can in principle be used for vehicles up to 4.70 metres in length and 2.78 metres wheelbase. However, as the development chief literally stated that the new model will sit between the Mégane E-Tech Electric (4.21 metres) and the Ariya (4.59 metres), Renault is unlikely to push the upper limit on the new SUV model. In addition, the electric SUV will only be launched as a five-seater, not a seven-seater.
The 60-kWh battery is considered to be a given and, according to Le Borgne, will fit “easily” into the new vehicle. While this battery is the larger option on the Mégane E-Tech Electric, the new Renault SUV is likely to adopt the Nissan Ariya’s battery offering: “The maximum amount of energy on board will be 87 kWh,” says Le Borgne – equivalent to the larger of the Ariya’s two power storage units. This should allow a range of up to 500 kilometres in the Renault SUV.
Le Borgne does not give any details on the charging power, which is a maximum of 130 kW DC in the previous CMF EV models. For AC charging, the platform allows up to 22 kW, in contrast to the e-platforms of other manufacturers.
There is unlikely to be an all-wheel-drive version of the compact SUV like the Nissan Ariya – at least not under the Renault logo. “It’s not planned for the Renault brand, but it is planned for the Alpine brand,” Le Borgne said. “It’s a bit early to talk about this car for Alpine, but it will be a real high-end car – four-wheel drive including torque vectoring.” The front-mounted motors will produce 160 kW (60 kWh) or 175 kW (87 kWh) depending on the battery.
By dispensing with the rear electric motor, the loading space is to be increased. According to Auto Express, the electric SUV will offer more cargo space than the Kadjar. The combustion model has a 472-litre boot. With the CMF-EV’s battery only eleven centimetres high, interior space for passengers should be increased.
Renault reportedly plans a total of ten new electric models by 2030. According to Renault’s Vice President for Global Marketing, Arnaud Belloni, the new electric SUV will not be launched under the Kadjar name.
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