Renault's next Megane will ditch its familiar hatchback (and saloon, and estate) styling for a more crossover-y look next time out, and the first prototypes are hitting French roads this week.
Conventional styling
Renault gave us a preview of the new Megane last year with the Mégane eVision concept, but even behind the dazzle-camouflage tape on the prototypes, we can see that the production version is much more conventional in its look - -surprise, surprise. At the front, there's a wide, shovel-like nose with the distinctive Renault c-shaped LED running lights, while towards the rear, the beltline takes a distinct upward kick just behind the back door. If we described it as 'a flattened Captur' you'd be getting the idea.
At the back, it looks pretty conventional, with a low rear roofline and a big spoiler (not unlike a Volkswagen ID.4 or Skoda Enyaq) and slim tail-lights.
451km range
The new Megane E-Tech will, according to Renault, be based on the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi groups' CMF-E electric car platform, and will come initially with a 60kWh battery. That should be good enough, claims the French carmaker, for a WLTP one-charge range of 451km. The Megane E-Tech will have a 217hp electric motor at first, but we expect that bigger-battery (and probably smaller battery) versions will follow, as well as two-motor four-wheel drive versions.
30 initial prototypes
The Megane E-Tech will be built at Renault's Douai factory in Northern France, and an initial fleet of 30 prototype versions will be racking up the miles in and around the factory over the coming months, as Renault gears up to build on the electric sales success of the smaller Zoe hatchback.
Oh, and an Easter Egg moment - take a closer look at the camouflage on the test cars. The shapes and swirls of the camo are actually made up of the classic Renault diamond badge. A nice touch, that.