Renault Megane hybrid planned to boost choice amid EV uncertainty

Family-sized Renaults are set to get range-extender hybrid power in an overhaul of the company’s chassis technology, company leaders have revealed.

“Bigger cars are one of our priorities,” new CEO Francois Provost told Auto Express at the launch of the new Twingo electric city car in the group’s glitzy Paris showroom. “In the next mid-term plan we propose a new platform and solutions to continue our ambition to grow in the C-segment in the heart of Europe.”

In today’s Renault family car portfolio, the Australe and Espace SUVs and the Rafale flagship coupe-SUV use combustion or hybrid power, while the compact Megane hatch and Scenic SUV are strictly electric. But it appears Renault is seeking to group their replacements (referred to as C and D-segment cars by the industry) on a single, versatile car platform, helping the firm in its drive to cut development costs by up to 40 per cent – and keep a lid on new car prices.

Renault is working on “a dedicated BEV platform”, the brand’s CEO Fabrice Cambolive confirmed. “We also think that if [adoption] is not as rapid as expected, perhaps you can complete this…with some extensions like range extender or plug-in hybrid, and that's what we are working on.”

A vehicle platform designed EV-first but also capable of accommodating a hybrid powertrain is Mercedes-Benz’s strategy, with its new MMA architecture underpinning the CLA saloon. Renault hasn’t made the final decision on whether to mirror this blueprint or stick with distinct electric and combustion platforms (while maximising shared parts), because the first new model isn’t expected until 2028. 

It will need to make the call soon: although the new Twingo was developed in just two years, that benefitted from being a variant of the existing small car electric platform, rather than a clean-sheet design. This platform will take longer, despite Provost being determined to embed rapid development practices learned in China in the group’s Paris Technocentre.

Renault appears to favour range-extender hybrid technology, where a combustion engine acts as a generator to charge a battery powering the electric drive motor. Nissan’s Qashqai ePower offers such a powertrain and big cars are more suitable because they have more space to package batteries, an engine and motor.  

“Do we want serial drive or direct drive?” said brand boss Cambolive, musing on whether the engine would directly spin the wheels or act in a ‘series’ along with a battery and motor. “I think the logic is to go to serial drive [which] means electric traction, but we will communicate the solution [in time].” Offering a hybrid driving experience that feels closer to an EV’s would dovetail nicely with Renault’s role as one of the electric pioneers in Europe. And it currently only has one plug-in hybrid, in the Rafale. 

Renault’s powertrain supplier Horse, its joint-venture with China’s Geely and Saudi oil giant Aramco, recently revealed a compact range extender which packages a 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine, generator and inverter into the space of a briefcase. Developing 94bhp or 161bhp with a turbocharger and meeting upcoming Euro 7 emissions standards, Horse says the powertrain can be used to hybridise existing EVs, integrating with a vehicle’s existing electric motors. 

The all-electric Megane, the first car launched under the ‘Renaulution’ plan pushed by Provost’s predecessor Luca de Meo, hit the market in 2022. Although Renault positions it as a C-segment hatchback, its compact, 4.2m-long size sits between superminis and the Golf. Although that lowers its carbon footprint it’s not as spacious as some EVs which, combined with its small battery, have led to low sales. 

Pushing the next-generation Megane onto the new platform should give it a new lease of life, with new proportions, more space and a wider range of powertrains. The new platform should also form the bedrock of the replacement Espace, set to be influenced by the Emblem concept car, among a host of other new models for Europe and other markets.

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