Renault Mégane to Go Rear-Wheel Drive on New RG EV Medium 2.0

A range-extender version will also join the line-up, with a total range of up to 1,400 km. It is aimed at current diesel Mégane owners who need to cover long distances.

Why rear-wheel drive

The switch to rear-wheel drive will go hand in hand with a single electric motor delivering 275 hp and 350 Nm of torque. Philippe Brunet, Renault's director of mechanical engineering, told Auto Express that front-wheel drive causes problems for driving pleasure, comfort and handling, adding that it was "very difficult to tune the current Scénic and Mégane". The layout also makes it easier to integrate power electronics and wiring.

A new look

Design will change too. Laurens van den Acker, design chief of the Renault group, said the platform will offer new silhouettes from the start: longer wheelbases, larger wheels and shorter overhangs, producing cars "neither as tall as an SUV nor as low as a saloon". The Mégane could lean towards a coupé-style SUV, as Nissan did with the Leaf, which would make it a more credible rival to the Model Y than the current Scénic, which still sits between MPV and SUV.

The styling is expected to be restrained. Van den Acker describes a slightly more serious look with less of the superficial, aiming for a middle ground between German coldness and Italian warmth.

The current Mégane and Scénic have only just received mild updates, so the real shift is still a couple of years away.