Renault's new SUV-C crossover will look to mimic the success of its sister model, the Nissan Qashqai, and will be a key component in its global expansion plans.
IHS Automotive perspective | |
Significance | Renault has announced specifications and other key details of its new Kadjar C-segment crossover model, which will be officially launched at the Geneva Motor Show in March, according to a company press release. |
Implications | The Kadjar is a vital entry into the burgeoning C-segment crossover market, but it is something of a mystery why Renault is eight years behind its alliance partner in having a competitive model in the segment after the comparative failure of the Koleos. The Kadjar will join the B-SUV Captur and Koleos in the company's crossover line-up. |
Outlook | With Kadjar also heading up Renault's sales expansion in China, and the model being the first Renault to be manufactured in the world's biggest autos market, it is an important building block for the company's global growth strategy. IHS Automotive forecasts the model will add up to 150,000 units in a segment where the company has previously not been represented. |
Renault has announced a key model in its future global growth strategy in the form of the Kadjar SUV-C segment crossover model, with the model making its official debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March. According to a company press release, the model will be particularly aimed at boosting the brand's presence and volume in
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Renault Kadjar Source: Renault |
growth markets, especially in "many African and Mediterranean Basin countries" as well as spearheading the company's ambitious plans in China, where the Kadjar will become the first Renault-badged model to be built in the country. The model will be built at the new joint venture (JV) plant with Dongfeng, Dongfeng Renault Automotive Company (DRAC), located in the city of Wuhan. This facility will begin manufacturing the Kadjar in 2016 and the plant will have an eventual build capacity of 150,000 units. Kadjars destined for the Europe will be manufactured at Renault's plant at Palencia in Spain.
In terms of the model itself, the Kadjar styling builds on the design established by the Clio and Captur and is a noticeably more stylish proposition than the bulky and ill-proportioned Koleos – Renault's first attempt at a crossover. Renault has also imported similar themes into the interior, with an emphasis on improving the quality of the materials. It will also be available with Renault's R-Link 2 multimedia system, which offers full in-car connectivity. The Kadjar will be available in either two-wheel drive (2WD) or four-wheel drive (4WD) variants and has a compact footprint of 4.45 metres in length and a width of 1.84 metres. The Kadjar will be available with Renault's latest petrol and diesel powertrains and will
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Renault Kadjar Source: Renault |
go on sale in the second quarter in Europe and a large number of African countries; it is scheduled to appear in right-hand drive form in the United Kingdom in the third quarter. The model will also share the CMF platform that is Renault-Nissan's main shared modular platform system, with the model sharing the same CMF-C/D iteration of architecture as the Nissan Qashqai.
Outlook and implications
Although there is little doubt that the Kadjar will be an extremely valuable addition to Renault's model range in terms of driving growth and penetrating new markets, Renault's failure to properly leverage, or at least attempt to mimic, the huge success of its sister company's Qashqai is one of the strangest episodes in the European automotive industry in recent years. The Qashqai virtually created a new product group by itself and hit the sweet spot in terms of meeting customer requirements and sales volumes. Renault floundered with the half-hearted Koleos in trying to gain a share of the growing crossover market. In 2013, the Qashqai sold nearly 400,000 units worldwide, over eight times the combined sales volume of the Koleos. With the Kadjar, Renault is looking to build on the success of the Captur in the European market with a model that has attractive and contemporary styling in this segment. The model will also spearhead Renault's major push in the Chinese market; with SUV and crossovers taking an ever greater share of the Chinese market the Kadjar is the right product for this effort. In terms of light vehicle sales, IHS Automotive forecasts that SUV sales will rise as a share of the light-vehicle market, from 17.7% in 2013, to 20% in 2014, and a forecast rise to 22.4% in 2015. Renault has an ambitious target of taking a 3.5% share of the Chinese market – equivalent to 750,000 sales per year – in the medium term.