Renault knows that MPVs are dying. This is why the Scenic looks like a hatch-crossover hybrid combo. The French carmaker is getting ready to reveal the all-new Scenic E-Tech on September 4 in Munich and is showing images of a camouflaged prototype. It is the Renaulution’s second C-segment EV after the Megane E-Tech revealed last fall.
Long gone is the time when customers were chasing after multi-purpose vehicles (MPVs). They were these roomy cars that would allow families to just throw everything in there and hit the road. In the 1990s, when Renault sent the Scenic into the world, it was an instant hit. And it was not “Car of the Year” for nothing back in 1997. But 26 years later, people want something else. They are after crossovers, SUVs, pickup trucks, with all that is related to them. Space, high ground clearance, and looks, too. No MPV would ever win a beauty pageant.
Renault has read between the lines of customer demand and has ditched the Scenic for the… Scenic. The upcoming all-electric crossover, that Renault describes as family-friendly, was previewed by the Scenic Vision concept at the ChangeNOW Summit in Paris in March. It was the carmaker's manner of showing a clear intention: to switch to sustainable and inclusive mobility. And to better-looking bodywork, too.
The Scenic E-Tech follows in the footsteps of the concept presented four months ago, and Renault claims it is the first production car to embody the brand’s new sustainable development strategy.
Photo: Renault
The photos posted by Renault reveal a robust silhouette, which belongs to one of the prototypes set to travel all over the continent for the final testing sessions. The prototypes that we get to see are made at the Douai ElectricCity factory in France. All of them are wearing a camouflage with a customized pattern. The pattern is actually a play of lines inspired by the new Renault logo.
The CMF-EV architecture will underpin the upcoming Scenic EV. It is the one that Renault Megane E-Tech and Nissan Ariya are both built on. So it is easy to guess what the lineup will bring. Three versions are currently available in the Megane E-Tech range. The entry level is the 129-horsepower (130 PS) version with a 40-kWh battery, followed by two others featuring a 60-kWh battery pack with either 130 or 217 horsepower (220 PS).
The all-new Renault Scenic E-Tech will be unveiled on September 4, at the IAA Mobility 2023 in Munich, Germany, the event that replaces the one that used to happen in Frankfurt, alternating with the one in Paris. Production of the Scenic E-Tech should start this fall, with the first deliveries scheduled for the first quarter of 2024. It is coming to battle Volkswagen’s ID.4, Ford’s Explorer, Hyundai’s Ioniq 5, and of course, its sibling Ariya from Nissan.
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