IT’s been a big few days for the local arm of French car maker Renault, with the launch of the new 2019 Megane R.S. yesterday, as well as confirmation it will bring its mid-sized SUV, the Kadjar, to Australia.
First unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2017, the new Renault Megane R.S. hot hatch has been eagerly awaited by sports driving enthusiasts, mostly because it’s packed full of Renault Sport goodness.
Perfectly suited for the road or track the R.S. features a chassis combining efficiency, agility, stability and comfort, equipped with the 4CONTROL four-wheel steering system and four hydraulic bump stop shock absorbers.
Under the hood is a new generation 1.8-litre turbo engine, delivering 205kW of power and 390Nm of torque, thanks to the development work jointly carried out by engineers from Renault Sport Cars and Renault Sport Racing.
In a first for the sporty hatch, customers can choose between two types of transmission (manual or EDC gearbox), and on the manual versions, customers can choose between two types of chassis (Sport or Cup).
Loaded with lots of tech, such as R.S. Vision, MULTI-SENSE and the new version of R.S. Monitor, the Megane R.S. is set to be an instant favourite in the battle for hot hatch supremacy.
In the second half of next year, Renault Australia will also launch the Kadjar, already a strong seller in Europe, which sits between the smaller Captur SUV and larger Koleos SUV product offerings.
The Kadjar is expected to offer a challenge to the established Japanese and Korean competitors, providing a refined European SUV, with torquey turbo performance and an upmarket interior.
The company is also examining options to launch two lifestyle based pick-ups in Australia – the Renault Alaskan and Renault Oroch. The Alaskan shares its platform with the Nissan Navara, while the Oroch is something altogether different for the local market.
Sold in Europe as the Renault Duster Oroch and based on the cheap and rugged Dacia/Renault Duster SUV, it’s a lightweight 4×4 dual cab ute with funky styling and a bunch of tough looking add-ons. It’s unique and could be super popular here.
Potential also exists for the recently revealed Renault Arkana crossover to make its way here as well.
