According to one of the top executives of the French company, Mégane costs too much for Renault, and that money might have to be spent on electric cars.
In an interview with a British car magazine, Renault's chief designer Laurens van den Acker suggested that the future of Mégane is not in the least certain. “As we begin to expand our offerings with electric vehicles, other models will inevitably have to go, as we can’t afford to develop so many things at once. The lower-middle class is under increasing pressure. We need to focus on the segments that have a future. ”
According to Carsalesbase.com, 2019 was the 9th most popular compact model in Europe with 129,000 cars sold - a significant drop from a peak in 2004, when nearly 466,000 of the model was sold in one year. However, the lower-middle category itself is still the third largest segment in the market; according to the latest relevant data from JATO, they account for roughly 17 percent of total sales, so the relative failure of Mégane is a painful loss for Renault.
The question is whether it is really necessary for Renault to introduce a stand-alone electric model instead of Mégane, or whether it would be enough to expand the range with an emission-free powertrain.
(Source: vezess.hu / photo: pixabay.com)