Renault crosses over with Arkana

RENAULT has ripped the covers from its Arkana crossover concept that blends the look of an SUV, a coupe and a sedan, and it is under consideration for the Australian market.

Revealed overnight at the Moscow motor show, the Arkana concept previews a future production C-segment model that is set to launch in Russia in 2019 before being rolled out to other global markets.

According to Renault Australia corporate communications manager Emily Fadeyev, the Arkana is currently being evaluated by the French car-maker’s Australian arm.

“Australia certainly has a strong SUV market and at Renault, we believe there is opportunity to increase our SUV presence in the future,” she said. “We are interested in the Arkana and in the process of reviewing this new crossover with the factory.”

Renault says the production version of the Arkana will be built and marketed in different regions, including Asia, which would be the most likely place to source an Australian-market model.

If it gets the green light, it would bolster Renault’s SUV line-up and sit above the small Captur and mid-size Koleos, which is currently sourced from South Korea.

As previously reported, Renault Australia is also in the process of evaluating the Kadjar small-to-medium SUV that shares many of its mechanicals with the Nissan Qashqai.

One obvious rival for the Arkana in the Australian market would be Mitsubishi’s recently-launched Eclipse Cross coupe-style SUV.

The boldly designed Arkana features a high ground clearance and 19-inch wheels housed in large wheelarches, which the company says makes for “good all-terrain capabilities”.

It has a high waistline and a sloping coupe roofline, as well as an extended tailgate with an accentuated boot that adds the sedan-like look. The only other production car to have a similar sedan-SUV-coupe design was Volvo’s high-riding S60 Cross Country that never made it to Australia.

Groupe Renault senior vice-president of corporate design Laurens Van den Acker highlighted the uniqueness of the Arkana concept.

“The Arkana show car is a distinctive coupe-crossover, striking balance between the elegance of a sedan and the powerful stance of an SUV,” he said. “We have dialled in specific Renault cues, with a strong design, strength and sensuality with a French touch.”

Renault has not revealed any details on the powertrain or any images of the interior.

The company believes that the Arkana will play a key role in Groupe Renault’s plans to boost its product offerings and sales volumes to five million units by 2022.

Groupe Renault senior vice-president and chairman of Eurasia region Nicolas Maure said the Arkana will appeal to the company’s customers in Russia and other regions.

“The idea for this innovative concept came from Russia, and the project was conducted with the strong involvement of Renault Russia teams,” he said.

“Arkana will meet Russian customers’ aspirations but also the ones of new customers in many countries worldwide, enabling Groupe Renault to further pursue its international growth as part of its Drive the Future strategic plan.”

Groupe Renault – which includes the Renault, Renault-Samsung Motors, Dacia, Lada and Alpine brands – owned almost one-third of the Russian market in 2017, with 448,270 vehicles sold for a 28 per cent share, making it the second-largest market globally for the French company.