The SUV line-up of Renault has grown with the arrival of Captur and Kadjar. However, the company is not stopping at this point and is planning to grow further with a seven-seat model. This new model will be similar to the X-Trail from Nissan with which it will share a number of components. The new SUV will replace the Koleos and is expected to hit the markets in 2017. It must be noted that the styling aspect of this new model is comparable with the recently launched Kadjar.
On this new SUV, Laurens van den Acker, the Renault Boss for Design said, “It’s much more than just a big Kadjar – the proportions are slightly different, the positioning is more high-end. We are going for a different type of customer. It will sit just underneath the Espace, which for me remains the flagship of the brand.”
Definitely, with a seven-seat option, the new model is looking forward to lead the SUV segment and might give competition to its own models. However, the design head does not believe so, as the two cars will not be launched in the same market simultaneously. He said, “Not many markets will take the D-crossover and the Espace. The D crossover is mainly for Asia, where it will replace the Koleos, and there is no Espace in Asia. It will be sportier; it will be younger than the Espace.”
The new SUV will be based on the CMF platform of Renault-Nissan venture. Interestingly, this platform is already the base for popular cars like Qashqai, X-Trail and Kadjar. As about the naming convention of the car, Michael van der Sande, the Senior Vice-President of Renault was quoted as saying, “There is a fairly high chance the name will start with a C or a K.”
