MUNICH — Renault’s first compact full-electric vehicle, the Megane E-Tech Electric, will debut in the first quarter of 2022 with two power levels and two battery ranges, as well as a new infotainment system with built-in Google functions.
The Megane E-Tech Electric is the first launch in Renault Group CEO Luca de Meo's strategy to shift money-losing Renault’s focus to the more-profitable compact segments rather than the small car segments, where some 70 percent of the group’s revenue is now generated.
"With this vehicle, Renault will hit the core of the C segment [compact] market in Europe," de Meo said Monday at the car’s unveiling at the Munich auto show. "The stakes are very high when you consider that the C segment represents 40 percent of the European market."
The Renault brand’s current compact offerings, the Megane hatchback and station wagon and the Kadjar SUV, have underperformed relative to mass-market competitors.
"With the new Megane, we think we have reinvented the classic European hatchback in an emotional way," de Meo said. "This allows us to reconnect with what in the past has made Renault successful."