Renault has confirmed it will revive its legendary Megane RS hot hatch as an EV as part of a much-needed boost for the regular Megane E-Tech line-up.
Likely to borrow its powertrain from the latest 320kW Nissan Ariya NISMO, the former VW Golf GTI rival is set to gain all-wheel drive and performance in another league beyond the previous petrol-powered hot hatch.
Timings have yet to be announced but the French car-maker has said it will deliver what’s believed to be a close-to-production concept for the inbound battery-electric hot hatch based on the current Megane E-Tech “within 12 months”.
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Sales of the production car could potentially start before the end of next year.
The motivation for bringing back the Megane RS is execs have tasked designers and engineers to reposition the entire range as a sportier proposition than rivals such as the Volkswagen ID.3 or the Cupra Born.
The move, it’s hoped, will reverse the Megane E-Tech’s sharp sales decline that began 18 months ago in Europe.
Confirming the new RS version and a sportier facelift of the Megane E-Tech was on the way, Renault CEO Fabrice Cambolive announced to Autocar that the battery-electric hatch would be repositioned as a “hot hatch or hot car”.
The Renault boss was careful not to spill the beans on what will power the next Megane RS EV, but an obvious choice would be to borrow its all-wheel drive dual-motor powertrain from the latest Nissan Ariya NISMO.
If so, expect the electric hot hatch to produce more than 360kW of power and 600Nm that – even with a heavy 87kWh battery – should see the all-electric hot hatch launch from 0-100km/h in less than 4.5 seconds.
Another less likely option for engineers would be to employ the more advanced triple e-motor powertrain from the Alpine A390 that offers up to 345kW and 809Nm of torque.
But reports suggest that idea has already been scrapped over packaging difficulties.
Whatever is chosen, the new hot hatch will be significantly quicker than the current Megane E-Tech that is only available with a single e-motor that produces up to 160kW.
It will also be in another league to the last petrol-powered Megane RS Ultime (pictured top) that took 5.7 seconds to sprint from 0-100km/h.
During the discussion with the British magazine it was not clarified if the French brand’s Renaultsport performance division would be brought back from the dead or if Alpine – that helped develop the wild Renault 5 Turbo 3E – would again help its parent.
Cambolive did say, as part of a tweaked strategy, Alpine will now only build dedicated sports cars, rather than hotter versions of rebadged Renault products.
The senior Renault exec also said that other RS models could follow on from the Megane RS but added the brand would have to “find the right balance” when considering cost and demand for future fast Renaults.
When the electric Megane RS arrives, expect a wider, more purposeful stance and a more aggressive package of aerodynamics, with most of its styling cues adopted by the rest of the Megane range, jazzing up its look to reflect its sportier personality.
As well as the sportier looks, Cambolive said the revived Megane E-Tech would also come equipped with the option of a larger 91kWh battery that is expected to boost the WLTP range to as much as 700km.
There’s no word on if the Megane E-Tech range will also get faster charging but it’s thought its 400-volt electrics will continue to limit speeds.
