Photo: S. Baldauf/SB-Medien
There is no such thing as having too many crossovers for most automakers, and Renault is one of the companies planning additional high-riders. Last month, the diamond auto brand was snapped testing yet another crossover in the open, and that mysterious model has now returned to the limelight in a fresh batch of scoops.
Well, between you and I, it's not that mysterious, as it is understood to build on the Austral. The only thing surrounded in mystery is its name, as Renault could go for the Austral Coupe moniker, or they could end up reviving the Avantime nameplate. The latter was last used in the early 2000s on a two-door minivan, and it would make sense to revive this old moniker instead of going for a new one.
The compact crossover coupe likely uses the same construction as the Austral. If that's correct, then it features the CMF-CD platform, which is the foundation stone of the new Espace, Nissan X-Trail/Rogue, Qashqai, Mitsubishi Outlander, Mercedes-Benz T-Class, and others. It might use the same powertrains as the Austral, which is offered with electrified gasoline units, mated to manual and automatic transmissions, and a CVT. The Austral is the successor of the Kadjar, and its less practical sibling will sit above the Captur-based Arkana in the brand's lineup.
Although still thick, the camouflage allows us to see more of the slender headlamps that appear to be similar to those of the Austral. The prototype still has some plastic cladding on it to keep most of its design traits a secret, so we still cannot decipher the shape and size of the grille, the lines going across its profile, and the back end. Here, the tailgate and bumper's styling appears to be very clean, but that might change once the crossover coupe starts shedding its fake skin. The single exhaust tip on the left-hand side of the bumper may receive some fancy surrounding trim.
It is supposed to be identical to the Austral inside too. That would mean featuring a portrait-oriented display for the infotainment system in the middle of the dashboard, the same digital instrument cluster, a three-spoke steering wheel, and most buttons and knobs, alongside the same driver assistance systems. The upholstery, door cards, center console, and a few other things could be tweaked to put some space between the new Avantime (name unconfirmed) and its more mainstream and more practical sibling, the Austral. We do not know when the unveiling date of the auto firm's new compact crossover coupe is, but if we were to guess, we'd say it is probably due before the end of 2023 or early 2024. Production should commence not long after the presentation, and the first units might arrive at dealers in Europe in the first half of next year.
The compact crossover coupe likely uses the same construction as the Austral. If that's correct, then it features the CMF-CD platform, which is the foundation stone of the new Espace, Nissan X-Trail/Rogue, Qashqai, Mitsubishi Outlander, Mercedes-Benz T-Class, and others. It might use the same powertrains as the Austral, which is offered with electrified gasoline units, mated to manual and automatic transmissions, and a CVT. The Austral is the successor of the Kadjar, and its less practical sibling will sit above the Captur-based Arkana in the brand's lineup.
Although still thick, the camouflage allows us to see more of the slender headlamps that appear to be similar to those of the Austral. The prototype still has some plastic cladding on it to keep most of its design traits a secret, so we still cannot decipher the shape and size of the grille, the lines going across its profile, and the back end. Here, the tailgate and bumper's styling appears to be very clean, but that might change once the crossover coupe starts shedding its fake skin. The single exhaust tip on the left-hand side of the bumper may receive some fancy surrounding trim.
It is supposed to be identical to the Austral inside too. That would mean featuring a portrait-oriented display for the infotainment system in the middle of the dashboard, the same digital instrument cluster, a three-spoke steering wheel, and most buttons and knobs, alongside the same driver assistance systems. The upholstery, door cards, center console, and a few other things could be tweaked to put some space between the new Avantime (name unconfirmed) and its more mainstream and more practical sibling, the Austral. We do not know when the unveiling date of the auto firm's new compact crossover coupe is, but if we were to guess, we'd say it is probably due before the end of 2023 or early 2024. Production should commence not long after the presentation, and the first units might arrive at dealers in Europe in the first half of next year.
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