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And the Latest Victim of Crossovers and EVs Is… the Renault Megane!

While most of its direct rivals are doing quite well for themselves, the Megane isn’t, which is why Renault has decided to pull the plug on it.
Renault Megane 10 photos
Photo: Renault
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The decision currently affects the United Kingdom, Autocar reports. On a more positive note, the compact car, which is offered in five-door hatchback, estate, and sedan body styles, will live on in left-hand drive markets for roughly two more years.

Even though the company hasn’t said what led to the demise of the Megane, it is directly tied to its sales, or better said, poor sales. The quoted outlet says that only 793 copies were sold in the UK last year, compared to 30,200 units of the Volkswagen Golf and 21,800 of the Ford Focus. Thus, indirectly at least, it can be blamed on crossovers and SUVs, as more and more new car buyers flock to these body styles and the obvious EV revolution.

Introduced in 1995, the first generation Megane was made in various countries, including France, Spain, Belgium, Russia, Turkey, Argentina, and Colombia. It was replaced by the second generation in 2002, and the Megane III came out in 2008. The fourth and final generation of the compact model has been around since 2016, and it comes to life in Spain and Turkey, sharing its CMF-CD platform with the Espace, Kadjar, Talisman, Scenic, and several other vehicles, including a bunch of Nissans, the Mitsubishi Outlander, and Mercedes-Benz T-Class.

As for the ICE void left by the demise of the Megane that also happens to be the brand’s final performance model, as RenaultSport has been rebranded as Alpine, it will be filled by the Captur subcompact crossover, as well as the Clio supermini, and the Arkana crossover coupe. The nameplate isn’t going anywhere, as it has been introduced on yet another crossover-y car, the Megane E-Tech, with battery-electric power, which shares most nuts and bolts with the Nissan Ariya.
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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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