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2023 Renault Arkana Comes From Russia to Europe With Love and Thick Camouflage

Order books for the Renault Arkana opened about a year ago in Europe, so it wouldn’t make much sense to give the current one a facelift. And they’re not, because the prototype caught in Germany by our spy photographers is actually the Russian model.
Renault Arkana facelift 11 photos
Photo: S. Baldauf/SB-Medien
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Despite bearing the same name, it is different than the Euro-spec Arkana beneath the skin. The latter is built around the CMF-B platform shared with the Clio and Captur, among others, whereas Russia’s version uses the same architecture as the Dacia Duster and Renault Kaptur.

Due to the current world events, the future of the Renault Arkana for the Russian market is insecure. That’s because the assembly takes place at the company’s factory in Moscow, and the future of the plant is uncertain. Nonetheless, if it eventually gets the go-ahead, then it will feature new styling, as seen on the scooped prototype.

For one, the headlights are all-new, and so is the grille, which appears to be slightly wider than before. The central air intake in the new bumper, and side trim, are smaller. Don’t mind those bulges on the hood, doors, and rear quarter panels, because that’s fake plastic cladding. The roof is still arched behind the B pillars, and the rear three-quarter panels appear to have been reshaped.

The taillights are slightly bigger and do not seem to be joined together by a light strip anymore. The diamond logo still sits in the middle of the tailgate, albeit closer to the bumper, which is also new and continues to incorporate the rear license plate holder. The wheel arch surrounds are more pronounced, yet we wouldn’t be surprised if they turn out to be provisional units.

Normally, we’d wrap it up by telling you when Russia’s Arkana could premiere, but that’s a delicate topic, as we might never see the facelifted iteration due to the aforementioned reason.
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About the author: Cristian Gnaticov
Cristian Gnaticov profile photo

After a series of unfortunate events put an end to Cristian's dream of entering a custom built & tuned old-school Dacia into a rally competition, he moved on to drive press cars and write for a living. He's worked for several automotive online journals and now he's back at autoevolution after his first tour in the mid-2000s.
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