Dacia

Assumed to be the most profitable part of Renault Group, Dacia has some of the lowest costs of any Europe-based car brand. This, thanks to manufacturing plants in central Europe and North Africa, strong brand loyalty and great value cars. People also like Dacias for their simplicity and low running costs.

As the 2020s progress, Renault will accelerate the process of moving almost every Dacia model onto to a single tried and tested platform. CMF-B is many years old and was once a big-volume architecture within the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi-Lada alliance. For Dacia, it is perfect: a great basis for no-nonsense cars and SUVs which can be evolved and updated with minimal expense.

The newest CMF-B model is the latest Duster. This 4.34 m long SUV comes with the choice of three powertrains, these being:

• TCe 100 Bi-Fuel, 1.0-litre turbo which runs on petrol or LPG

• TCe 130, 96 kW/130 PS 48V mild hybrid 1.2-litre I3 turbo with 0.9 kWh battery (the only one of the three available with AWD)

• Hybrid 140, 103 kW/140 PS 1.6-litre non-turbo four-cylinder engine plus two motors, a multi-mode gearbox and a 1.2 kWh battery

Renault should keep the Duster in production at the Pitesti plant in Romania for eight years, facelifting it in 2028. The same life cycle probably applies to the Renault-badged Duster which debuted in February for the Indian market.

Another novelty for 2024 is a major facelift for the Spring, a tiny made-in-China EV. This has the same 26.8 kWh battery and choice of 33 kW or 48 kW motors as before. Which means a small range too (100-130 real world miles). The interior has had a useful revamp and there is now right-hand drive, which means UK market sales for the first time.

Expect the second generation Spring to be launched in 2027, based on the AmpR Small platform and made in Europe (Novo Mesto in Slovenia) instead of China.

Bigster - Dacia goes...big

Next year sees the addition of the Bigster, a five-seat SUV. Expected to be 4.6 metres long, it will be another CMF-B platform model. Production will be at the Pitesti plant in Romania.

In 2026, Dacia gains a 4.3-4.5 m long crossover hatchback which at the moment has the interim name of C-Neo. The brand could potentially have a big hit on its hands with this vehicle - a fresh take on the original Nissan Qashqai is said to be the thinking.

Also in 2026, another addition to the line-up will slot in above the Jogger, this being a crossover estate. This CMF-B model is said to be about 4.7 metres long.

A successor for the Sandero is already being developed and due out in 2027 or 2028. Dacia CEO Denis Le Vot stated in February that there will be an electric option. There is a chance that the new model becomes larger, moving to the C segment, that also applying to the Stepway. Their replacements will be launched just ahead of the 2035 EU mandate for EVs.

What Renault Group believes should power the Duster which succeeds the one launched this year is presently being discussed internally. Due in 2032, will there be petrol engines for three years? Perhaps instead the model will be electric-only.

Renault

Having gone all-in on crossovers and SUVs, the Renault brand now has quite a complicated array of such models. Unlike Peugeot, there are no numbers (i.e. 2008, 3008, 4008 and 5008) to indicate size and thus provide instant clarity. And not all of the new and recently added vehicles will endure, just as Renault has in the past let the Kadjar and Koleos for example go out of production with no direct replacements.

As of now, the line-up in the European region consists of the Captur, Megane E-Tech Electric, Symbioz, Arkana, Scenic E-Tech Electric, Austral, Espace and Rafale. Some of these are EV-only or can also be ordered in electric form, while others are hybrid and/or plug-in hybrid.

With the exception of the Captur - facelift announced in April and available from October with a replacement coming in 2027, each of the eight models is also a fairly recent debut. The Rafale and Scenic E-Tech, for example, arrived during the second half of 2023. If the latter two are replaced, that won't be until 2029/2030, after their mid-cycle facelifts. The Austral will have an early refresh, this being due in 2025 to coincide with the arrival of a 1.2-litre three-cylinder powertrain.

The Austral, Espace and Rafale share a production line at the Palencia plant in Spain as well as windscreens, front doors, A-pillars and the CMF-CD platform. The Espace is more or less a longer Austral while the Rafale is a coupe-SUV positioned above them. So even with such a large selection, a lot of money has been saved in development and continues to be in manufacturing.

There was further expansion of the global range last year with the arrival of a new Grand Kangoo at the Munich IAA. This, a passenger version of the Kangoo L2 (van), comes with petrol, diesel and electric power choices. As the first deliveries were in early 2024, the electric-native successor will likely arrive in 2031/2032.

Major investments for special models in Brazil

A special B segment model for Brazil and other markets in South America was revealed at an event in Rio last October. The 4,119 mm long Kardian is a two-wheel drive crossover powered by a 125 kW and 220 Nm 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo. Built in Curitiba, it is also set to be made in Casablanca. Unlike certain other Renault Group vehicles manufactured in Morocco, the Kardian will not be exported to Europe.

Back in December 2023, Renault do Brasil announced an investment equivalent to 350 million euro for the Ayrton Senna complex in Paraná. This is where the company will manufacture a yet to be seen SUV on the Group's Modular Platform. The Kardian also has this architecture.

Is there a monocoque platform pick-up for South America in the brand’s future? That was surely the message given by the public premiere of the Niagara in October 2023. Rather than the usual logo, this concept had R E N A U L T picked out in large letters across the grille. Design study flourishes included chunky tyres and high ground clearance while the powertrain was claimed to consist of a petrol engine, plus on the back axle, a single motor.

We should see a hybrid 4x4 model similar to the pick-up prototype in 2027 or 2028. Length-wise, the Niagara is expected to be about the same 4.9 metres as the concept.

While Renault EVs might take some years yet to go mainstream in Brazil and associated regional markets, that is certainly not the case in Europe. One size below the segment where the Zoe was once in great demand, a reinvention of the Twingo will see that car go electric too. Along with the source of energy powering it, another big change is the number of doors: four rather than the two of all previous Twingos. More on this below.

Return of the Five

Will the 5 E-Tech be as popular as the Zoe, which it succeeds? This model went out of production on 30 March, the same day as the Twingo. Although the 3,992 mm long 5, an electric hatchback, had its public premiere fully 18 months ago, production has only just started. It will eventually be joined on a special production line at the Douai factory in France by the Alpine A290 and the next Nissan Micra.

Other details of the new 5 include a choice of 40 kWh or 52 kWh batteries plus 70, 90 and 110 kW motors. Up to 400 km/249 miles of range is claimed, with an illuminated indicator on the bonnet forming a full number 5 when the battery is fully charged. What had previously been called CMF-BEV is now renamed AmpR Small platform.

While it will not be available until next year, the new 4 will premiere very soon. As with the 5, which it is to be positioned above, the platform is AmpR Small. A life cycle of seven to eight years should be expected, meaning a styling update in 2029.

Going after the Qashqai

The Symbioz, mentioned earlier, is yet another new vehicle for 2024. This rival for the Nissan Qashqai is 4,413 mm long and built in the same Spanish plant (Valladolid) as the Captur. Positioned above that model and below the Austral, the launch powertrain is a 1.6-litre hybrid which produces a combined 145 PS. The life cycle should be seven years, so after a facelift in 2028, if the Symbioz is a success, a second generation would be due in 2031.

It really is the year for Renault crossovers and SUVs, with a second 1.2-litre powertrain about to become available in the still-new Rafale. The E-Tech 4x4 300 (PS) is a three-motors PHEV, whereas the launch 200 is a two-motors hybrid. The third motor produces 100 kW (136 PS) plus 195 Nm and is positioned on the rear axle, while there is a 22 kWh/400V battery with a claimed range of 100 km in EV mode.

The three-cylinder engine has a new turbocharger compared to the unit in the 200 PS Rafale hybrid, boosting power to 110 kW or 150 hp (compared to 96 kW or 130 hp for the E-Tech 200 hp version) and torque to 230 Nm (versus 205 Nm). The front motor produces 50 kW (70 PS) and 205 Nm with the secondary HSG (High-voltage Starter Generator) one developing 25 kW (34 hp) and 50 Nm. Both Rafales should be refreshed in 2028 and replaced in 2031 by an EV.

Twingo becomes an EV, gains back doors too

Jumping forward to 2026, the next Twingo will be launched, priced from perhaps as low as 20,000 euro. The platform will be AmpR Small and positioning is below the 5. After a failed attempt at co-developing this model with the Volkswagen Group, Renault is instead partnering with an unnamed China-based engineering firm. Production will be in Slovenia at the Novo Mesto plant.

Two more models for another part of the world are also due in 2026, these being successors for the Kiger and Triber. The related Kwid, another small Renault manufactured in India, will on the other hand remain in production indefinitely, sources believe.

A new generation Clio is now little more than two years away. As per the engineering philosophy employed by Stellantis for the rival Peugeot 208, the platform will in fact be two related architectures. These are CMF-B for the hybrid plus AmpR Small, which is derived from it.

The first electric Clio in the history of this B segment model may not arrive until 2027, some six months after the debut of the HEV. This could be the launch model for E7A. Developed with Valeo, this future motor will be capable of producing up to 200 kW. On the other hand, as the Cléon factory is not scheduled to commence production of E7A until the end of 2027, it may premiere in the next Captur (2028).

Renault Korea

RKM (since 2022 when the name changed from Renault Samsung Motors having been established as Samsung Motors in 1995) became Renault Korea on 1 April. At the same time, the Samsung QM6 was renamed Renault QM6 and gained a Renault logo on its grille.

As for the XM3, this is now the Renault Arkana. And because it is soon to be phased out, has stayed as is. The first fresh product, meanwhile, launches in October, having debuted at the Busan show in June. This, the Grand Koleos E-Tech Hybrid, is being CKD-assembled by RK from China-sourced kits.

Formerly known only by its Aurora 1 codename, the new, 4,870 mm long SUV uses a Geely-Volvo CMA platform as this is a restyled Geely Xingyue L. The powertrain choices are FWD 1.5-litre turbo hybrid or non-hybrid 2.0-litre turbo with FWD or AWD.

As the Geely original dates to 2021, there will be a next generation replacement as soon as 2028, at least for the donor model. RKM could choose to move the tooling to Korea at this point, facelift the Grand Koleos and shift to full manufacturing. Under this scenario, the Busan plant would continue building the refreshed Renault into the early 2030s.

Future models from Infiniti and Nissan will be the subjects of the next Just-Auto future models report. This will be published on 16 September.

"Dacia and Renault future models 2024-34" was originally created and published by Just Auto, a GlobalData owned brand.

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