Photo: Renault
Renault and Nissan are in cahoots since, well, 1999, the year that gave us Fight Club and The Matrix, the third studio album by the Foo Fighters, and the impeachment trial of Bill Clinton. Despite the fact they’ve been together for 17 years, the Japanese part of the alliance doesn’t do hot hatchbacks, while the French manufacturer isn’t too ardent about go-faster crossovers.
The truth of the matter is, a lot has changed over the course of 17 years, both for Nissan and Renault, as well as for the industry on the whole. If I may point out the obvious, the rising demand for crossovers and SUVs is one variable worthy of being taken into consideration. Secondly, the hot hatchback fandom extended beyond Europe. Better late than never, the two brands came to their senses, accepting the fact that sharing is caring.
Speaking to British motoring publication Auto Express, executive vice prez of product planning and programs Bruno Ancelin let the cat out of the bag. “A Renaultsport SUV? Why not? [...] We have made some prototypes and for SUVs we have no doubt that it works. [...] So it works for Captur and it works for the Nissan Juke.” Don’t, however, look too much into these words.
That’s because Renault is still pondering about which crossover SUV will get the Renaultsport treatment first. While the Captur sells like hotcakes, the compact-sized Kadjar is a big hit in its own right. Regardless of what happens next, the long-time alliance between Renault and Nissan works both ways.
“We are looking for synergies with NISMO [Nissan’s sporty division],” adds Ancelin. “We could probably look to synergies to help each other. This is a key activity that we have inside the Alliance.” The Renault official also let it slip that “they [Nissan] have the NISMO, but they have no Micra NISMO, and we have the Renaultsport Clio.” In other words, the 2017 Nissan Micra supermini has the potential to turn into a Renault Clio RS 200 EDC-like hot hatchback.
On that note, the following years will see the debut of hot Renault crossovers, while the Nissan Micra NISMO will be much more than just a glorified body kit.
Speaking to British motoring publication Auto Express, executive vice prez of product planning and programs Bruno Ancelin let the cat out of the bag. “A Renaultsport SUV? Why not? [...] We have made some prototypes and for SUVs we have no doubt that it works. [...] So it works for Captur and it works for the Nissan Juke.” Don’t, however, look too much into these words.
That’s because Renault is still pondering about which crossover SUV will get the Renaultsport treatment first. While the Captur sells like hotcakes, the compact-sized Kadjar is a big hit in its own right. Regardless of what happens next, the long-time alliance between Renault and Nissan works both ways.
“We are looking for synergies with NISMO [Nissan’s sporty division],” adds Ancelin. “We could probably look to synergies to help each other. This is a key activity that we have inside the Alliance.” The Renault official also let it slip that “they [Nissan] have the NISMO, but they have no Micra NISMO, and we have the Renaultsport Clio.” In other words, the 2017 Nissan Micra supermini has the potential to turn into a Renault Clio RS 200 EDC-like hot hatchback.
On that note, the following years will see the debut of hot Renault crossovers, while the Nissan Micra NISMO will be much more than just a glorified body kit.
Google News