Renault will give the Megane a radical “sizzling hatch” facelift subsequent yr, in an effort to revive the EV’s stark downturn in gross sales.
The present Megane launched in 2022 as one of many first of Renault new-age electrical vehicles.
Whereas profitable at first, after 4 years gross sales have dipped quickly: down 67% (to 10,082) within the first half of 2025 in comparison with the yr earlier than.
This has coincided with the model launching newer – and cheaper – EVs within the Renault 4 and 5 inside the previous yr, which have racked up greater than 3 times the hatch’s sale.
Now, Renault CEO Fabrice Cambolive has confirmed they wish to reposition the Megane as a “sizzling automotive”.
Talking on the launch of the new Clio on the Munich motor present, he mentioned: “Megane E-Tech was our first, first, actual EV automotive because the starting of ‘Renaulution’. It was launched at a second the place the EV [uptake] was not so excessive.
“Now, what we’re searching for is to have a sizzling hatch or a sizzling automotive. That is the course we wish to go in.”
Whereas he was coy on any technical specifics, Cambolive mentioned the automotive will get a bigger battery – and that is more likely to be the 91kWh pack used within the bigger Scenic. In that automotive, it affords as much as 379 miles of vary, up 87 miles on probably the most environment friendly present Megane.
This have to refresh the hatch was backed by Renault Group design boss Laurens van den Acker, who admitted “we have to promote extra of it”.
To try this, he added: “We have to do one thing. If you happen to put a brand new battery within the automotive, which may be very costly, and you do not change the automotive, then it is actually laborious pressed to seduce folks to pay extra or something for it.
“So we would have liked to do justify to vary beneath the pores and skin by displaying one thing on the pores and skin. After which we thought that what the world was lacking was form of a hot-looking EV.
“And so we thought we had nothing to lose, so we’ll simply push that.”
Autocar understands the facelift will contain a brand new grille, contemporary daytime working lights and a decrease and wider stance, though van den Acker wouldn’t be drawn into specifics.
The brand new Megane will arrive in the course of subsequent yr, possible holding a premium over the present automotive’s £32,495 beginning value.
