Arkana couldn’t have arrived at a better time. A few days after Renault had announced, on February 19, a historic loss of 8 billion euros in 2020, this new model was to lay the first stone of a reconquest operation for the diamond firm. Marketed on March 10, it marks a new start in the medium-sized car segment, a specialty where the manufacturer has accumulated disappointments and that Luca de Meo, its managing director, has placed at the center of its strategy.
First SUV-coupe launched by a generalist, while this successful silhouette was until then the prerogative of German premium brands, this car does not replace any vehicle in the range. An original proposal, it intends to echo the offbeat models (Twingo, Scénic, Captur) which made the reputation of the Billancourt company.
Unlike most Renault cars of recent years, Arkana makes strong choices. The line is that of an SUV whose rear part is bodied like a coupe and the available engines are micro-hybrids or hybrids (diesel is not included in the program) and powerful enough (140 to 160 horsepower ). Devoid, for the time being, of competitors, Arkana is offered at a price of 29,700 to 36,200 euros, significantly higher than that of other Renault in the segment.
Mourning the minivan
For the group, it is a question of catching up with the accumulated delay, but also of forging a better legitimacy in this top category. Apart from the Captur, number one in its category in Europe in 2020 (178,000 units), but whose preeminence is threatened by the Peugeot 2008, now leader in France, its SUVs have failed. In 2020, the Kadjar sold only 63,000 copies in Europe (14e category position), two times less than the Peugeot 3008. As for the sales of the Koleos, they are confidential (7,000 registrations, in 26e position on the segment).
Some will see it as the difficulty for the diamond brand to mourn the minivan, a vehicle with which it has long identified. Derived from the Nissan Qashqai, the Kadjar could not compete with either the Peugeot 3008 or the Citroën C5 Aircross, the Koleos never broke through, and the Espace, transformed into a “crossover”, will not be renewed. A disappointing record.
The genesis of Arkana reflects the hesitations of the French brand in terms of management of its range. Unveiled in 2018 at the Moscow Motor Show, this model was strangely intended for the Russian market alone. Made from the platform of the Dacia Duster, it did not take long to seduce. Faced with this success, the Renault staff finally decided to design a version intended for Europe and Asia. The brand does not announce production targets for this model manufactured in Busan (South Korea) by its Korean subsidiary Samsung Motors, but its managers firmly hope that it will achieve real commercial success.