This is a strong signal.
Renault chose the German motor show, which moved from Frankfurt to Munich, to present the first electric model of its Renaulution plan.
It is one of the few production vehicles revealed as part of the Bavarian demonstration.
Called Mégane, this model takes the form of a compact raised sedan which aims to compete with the Volkswagen ID.3.
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Based on the CMF-EV platform shared with the Nissan Ariya and proudly inaugurating a 3D diamond on its grille, the Mégane E-Tech Electric will make people forget the Fluence ZE, Renault's first electric sedan.
This Mégane of a new kind seduces at first glance with its cut crossover silhouette on 20-inch wheels (18-inch entry-level).
GREG
The electrical architecture is a boon for designers, because it allows the wheels to be placed at the four corners, a guarantee of balance of forms, and to offer, thanks to a wheelbase of 2.70 m, the livability of a Mégane in the format of a Captur (4.21 m).
In the compact vehicle category, the trunk breaks new records, ensuring a load volume of 440 liters.
The adoption of a very thin battery (110 mm only) made it possible to limit the height to 1.50 m (60 mm more than the Mégane).
The revolution continues indoors with a large 24-inch L-shaped digital panel lying down for instrumentation and infotainment system that inaugurates a partnership with Google.
Renault
Marketed in the first quarter of 2022, this sedan, which has no more Mégane than the name, benefits from the experience acquired over 10 years with the ZOE by using a synchronous wound rotor motor rather than a permanent magnet machine.
If the technology adopted by Renault is signaled by an additional weight of the order of 10 kilos, it ensures a higher efficiency, of the order of 1 to 2%.
The wound rotor motor also eliminates the need for rare earths.
Unlike VW, the French engineers opted for a front engine architecture, avoiding the installation of connecting elements under the tunnel.
Renault
The Mégane will offer two levels of power and torque: 130 (250 Nm) and 218 hp (300 Nm).
Produced in France, in the Cléon plant, the engines will be powered, depending on the version, by a 40 or 60 kWh battery, which will ensure a range of respectively, 300 and 470 km.
The battery also underlines Renault's care to contribute to sustainable development: the technology uses less cobalt and more nickel.
Its charging power of up to 130 kW will allow it to recover 300 km in 30 minutes.
Renault
By integrating the 395 kilo battery, the Mégane Electric weighs 1,624 kilos.
This may seem like a lot for a car in the C category, but the Mégane Electric announces at the same time a lower center of gravity of 90 mm compared to the current Mégane.
The engineers claim to have placed the emphasis on driving pleasure.
This is how the Mégane can rely on a multi-link rear axle and the steering is particularly direct (reduction ratio of 12).
Produced in the Douai plant and launched during the first quarter of 2022, the first Renaulution electric car should sell for around 37,000 euros.