“If you think you know Renault, think again.” This is how Renault’s head of fleet and used vehicles Peter Horton emoted the transformation of the company from volume to profit focused for the business, and an electrified, upmarket brand for the customer.
Renault’s marketing the car around the word ‘Renaulution’, mixing cutting-edge technology and improved quality, and being used to entice fleets to take a fresh look at what it has to offer.
The Megane E-Tech range was the first iteration of this ethos to come to market. Then came the Austral, with orders from May and deliveries from July.
It replaces the Kadjar and is the focus of Renault’s efforts to ‘re-conquer’ the C segment. Reflecting the upmarket move, the cheapest Austral costs more than its most expensive predecessor.
And instantly separating it from the Megane E-Tech is the fact there is no 100% electric model available.
The Austral (meaning the southern hemisphere; think Australia) instead debuts a more efficient version of the E-Tech full hybrid engine. Every model in the range is…
