French Ford Focus rival exits after four generations, leaving behind the similarly sized Megane E-Tech EV.
The combustion-powered Renault Megane has bowed out of production after 27 years and four generations, leaving behind the new electric hatchback of the same name.
The fourth-generation Megane was introduced at the 2015 Frankfurt motor show and went on sale the following summer. It was available in traditional five-door hatchback, wagon and sedan bodystyles. The Megane RS will remain on sale in Australia for now, however.
Made in Spain and Turkey, it also spawned the Renault’s final performance car to bear the RenaultSport badge, before that division was rebranded as Alpine. The Renault Megane RS Trophy-R took the front-wheel-drive lap record at the Nürburgring in 2019.
Globally, the Megane has historically been a significant contributor to Renault’s sales volumes, with the most recent model’s sales peaking at 168,000 units in 2017, and nudging 70,000 even in 2021.
According to figures from carsalesbase.com, Renault sold 465,778 Megane models globally in 2004 – the model’s best year on record.
The Megane’s successor is a similarly conceived hatchback – albeit one that’s more SUV-esque in stature. The Renault Megane E-Tech rides on the same CMF-EV architecture as Alliance partner Nissan’s new Ariya and will be followed into dealerships in 2024 by a technically similar compact SUV called the Scenic.
For now, the Renault Captur crossover will fill the petrol-powered C-segment role in Renault’s line-up, flanked by the smaller Renault Clio supermini and the larger Renault Arkana coupe-crossover.
Felix Page