Renault has unveiled an old name in a new style at the IAA Mobility 2021 car show in Munich this week, with the Renault Mégane arriving as an electric crossover built on the company’s new CMF-EV platform.
Renault says the new Mégane E-Tech Electric is built from scratch on the company’s CMF-EV platform – the same as the Nissan Ariya – and more resembles an SUV or crossover than the typical Mégane hatch.
Powered by a choice of two motors – a 96kW, 130-horsepower motor delivering 250Nm of torque, or a 160kW, 218-horsepower motor delivering 300Nm.
Similarly, the new Mégane will offer a choice of two battery capacities – a 40kWh battery with a range of up to 300-kilometres on the WLTP cycle, or a 60kWh battery with a range of 470-kilometres (WLTP).
Renault is also providing multiple charging options, including AC charging from 2.3kW domestic to 22kW public charging stations – the latter of which can add 160-kilometres in an hour – and, depending on the version, the Mégane will also be compatible with DC charging up to 130kW which can add 300-kilometres of charge in just 30 minutes.
Renault says the focus has been on the Mégane’s new “sensual tech” design language – though, precisely what is “sensual” about the technology included in the Mégane is unclear.
It points to the rear micro-optical LED lights and OpenR screen as two of the more technological elements that have been incorporated into the vehicle, as well as other design elements that the company says “draw heavily on the world of high-tech and hi-fi design” such as the vehicle’s vents grilles, laser engraving on the lower door protection grates.
Maybe most in line with the new Mégane’s focus on technology is the car’s “crowning jewel”, a OpenR single-screen digital instrument panel and central console multimedia screen – included as standard for the first time, where before it was normally held back for concept cars.
Combining two screens into one, the OpenR screen boasts 321 cm² for the 12.3-inch dashboard screen and 453 cm² for the 12-inch multimedia screen, measuring in total 774 cm² –though this is only for the higher-tier models, while the entry level model features only a 9-inch multimedia screen.
