Renault Could Ditch The Megane, Focus On Electric Cars Instead

The Renault Megane is facing uncertainty as the French automaker has started questioning whether it has a future.

The compact model is eating a large portion of the company’s funds, and according to design chief Laurens van den Acker, who spoke to AutoExpress, it is to be seen whether that money could be better used elsewhere, namely in the development of new electric vehicles.

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“Inevitably, once we’re starting to add a range of EVs to our lineup, some of the other vehicles are going to have to go, because we just can’t afford to develop all of this at the same time”, van den Acker said. “The Megane is in a segment that’s increasingly under pressure. You have to put your money where the future of the market is.”

Sales of the Megane peaked in 2004 at 465,778 and have constantly dropped over the years, with small exceptions. In 2014, deliveries were at 135,206 in Europe, according to CarSalesBase, and last year, the brand sold only 129,222.

Meanwhile, the rivaling Volkswagen Golf did better, with 585,356 cars shipped in 2004 and 523,729 in 2014. In 2019, the German compact car was chosen by 410,779 customers.

The eighth generation Golf was presented to the world late last year and comes with an updated version of the Group’s MQB platform, with petrol, diesel and electrified engines.

The Megane Mk4 has been in production since 2016 and was facelifted this year. It is based on the CMF-CD architecture, shared with a multitude of cars, from the Nissan X-Trail to the Scenic, Koleos and Talisman, and it’s offered with a similar assortment of powertrains that include petrol, diesel and PHEV units.