The Renault Mégane eVision
With the battle for EV market dominance, the Renault Mégane E-Tech seems to check all the right boxes. According to Luca de Meo, CEO of Renault SA, the production and sale of the new Renault Mégane E-Tech EV model suggest that the company is making improvements when challenges for the car industry have increased.
The French automaker is working on its turnaround plan with several new electric cars to take on Volkswagen AG and Stellantis. This comes as several European carmakers are struggling to manage the shortage of semiconductors and rising inflation which could impact the market as consumers won’t be able to afford more expensive electric vehicles.
“The democratisation of the electric car will take place in Europe and involves products at affordable prices. Still, costs are rising for materials needed for EV batteries and that means the equation is hard,” de Meo said in an interview.
How Many Renault Mégane E-Tech Cars Have Been Sold?
At the end of July, Renault raised its outlook for 2022 after reporting a net loss for the first half of this year. In an interview with Le Journal du Dimanche’s Sunday edition, Renault CEO Thierry Bolloré said that the automaker has sold 25,000 Renault Mégane E-Tech cars in three months. Despite the total number of new vehicle registrations in France in 2022 dropping, the Renault Mégane E-Tech model is advertised in French media as the best-selling vehicle in July in France.
According to de Meo, the company’s first half performance and hiked full-year guidance “should quieten those who said Renault couldn’t survive.” They are currently working on “restructuring and strong execution is paying off” according to Bernstein & Co. analyst Daniel Roeska. As positive as this sounds, “tides may turn in 2023” as Renault will still face several challenges.
Renault’s Plan For Combustion And Electric Vehicles
In other news, Renault is also continuing its efforts to carve out electric and combustion-engine businesses with or without its Japanese partner Nissan. The plan to split up the company’s struggling operations seems to be moving ahead after talks with French unions and top management of the alliance partners, Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors Corp.
Renault’s Chief Executive Officer Luca de Meo stated that they must carry out this process and that the project is open to all stakeholders. In an interview with Bloomberg Television, de Meo said: “In the end, it’s their decision if they want to jump in the boat, but the train is leaving the station.”
De Meo will reveal all the details of the transformative plan later this year after more “transparent” discussions with Nissan and Mitsubishi. Hundreds of people are working on these projects which may extend far beyond spinning off an EV operation. De Meo said it could include other partners from the automotive and tech industries.
In closing, de Meo said that the relationship between Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi management is “very good” and indicated that the upcoming initiatives for joint industrial projects are certainly in the pipeline.
Recap Of The Renault Mégane E-Tech
The Renault Mégane E-Tech was unveiled at the 2021 IAA Munich Mobility show as the first of Renault’s next-gen EVs. Based on their new CMF-EV platform, the Mégane E-Tech gets loads of tech and intelligent charging capabilities. As a result, the Renault Mégane E-Tech can feed power back into the grid thanks to vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology.
Other innovations include its design and construction with the upholstery made from 100% recycled materials. An additional 27,2 kg of visible and hidden parts are also made from recycled plastics which means 95% of the vehicle can be recycled at the end of its life.
The motor of the Renault Mégane E-Tech weighs just 146 kg, 10% less than the motor in the impressive Renault Zoe but without losing power or torque. Currently, there are two available outputs, namely a 96 kW/250Nm motor or 160kW/300Nm with a 0-100 km/h time of only 7,4 seconds.
In terms of the battery, there are also two options in the form of 40 kWh and 60 kWh, offering a highly impressive range of 470 km. The battery unit comes with an 8-year guarantee where Renault will replace it should the unit deteriorate to less than 70% of its nominal capacity. It also has a fast-charging capability where you can get 300 km of range after just 30 minutes when charging at a 130 kW fast charging station.
Whether this electric SUV will come to South Africa remains to be seen but based on global markets, the Renault Mégane E-Tech is a remarkable vehicle and certainly a step in the right direction. For more motoring news from around the world and Renault special offers, read our blog and follow us on Facebook.
