Renault Megane to get RS flagship and major 'hot hatch' makeover

Autocar image shows what the "hot" new Megane could look like Refresh is part of effort to revive hatch after sales began to dive earlier this year Renault is poised to launch a range-topping performance version of the Megane E-Tech next year as part of a radical styling makeover that will reposition the EV as a hot hatch. The move is motivated by a desire to revive the Megane E-Tech’s appeal and reverse a sharp fall in sales of the car over the past 18 months. Speaking at the Munich motor show, Renault brand CEO Fabrice Cambolive confirmed the Megane E-Tech will be repositioned as “a hot hatch or a hot car”, adding: “That’s the direction we want to go in.” He also told reporters that Renault is exploring the viability of a new performance model and will show the “first proposals” within 12 months. While he declined to give further details, the two are expected to be linked. The brand’s last true dedicated sporting model was the fourth-generation Megane RS hot hatch, which went out of production in 2023 with the 296bhp Ultime run-out special. Renault has begun experimenting with sportier models again recently, bringing to market the exclusive, £140,000 5 Turbo 3E – a 533bhp hyper-hatch designed to show what a Renault performance EV is capable of. The new top-rung Megane E-Tech model isn’t expected to receive such a lofty power output, but a more feasible option is apparent from its Ampr Medium platform-mates. Of those, the new Alpine A390’s bespoke 464bhp tri-motor powertrain isn’t likely to be transferred to the Megane E-Tech, but the Nissan Ariya Nismo’s 429bhp dual-motor set-up could be in play. The current Megane E-Tech is offered exclusively with a single electric motor and a topend output of 215bhp. It is not yet known if the new range-topping Megane E-Tech will take the Renaultsport name. Cambolive hinted that the Renault Group could decide to continue using the Alpine brand exclusively for dedicated sports cars. Previously, in February, the Renault Group’s then CEO, Luca de Meo, described Renaultsport to Autocar as being “in the fridge” and said that while “everything sporty would be building on Alpine”, that “doesn’t mean that sometimes this thing wouldn’t be revived”. On the viability of the Megane E-Tech rangetopper potentially spawning a series of new performance cars, Cambolive said “we have to find the right balance” between cost and demand before any approval is given. To that end, Renault Clio product line manager Emmanuel de Jesus Pequeno recently told Autocar that a hot version of the new sixth-generation supermini is not currently on the cards. This is because of the “compromise” between the level of investment required to transform it into a hot hatch and the level of expected demand. A refresh of the Megane E-Tech has been a big focus for Renault, said bosses. The model was launched in 2022 as one of Renault’s first new-age electric cars. Following its initial success, the Megane E-Tech has subsequently been challenged by a growing number of newer rivals, some of which are delivering more for less than the hatch’s £32,495 asking price. As a result, sales have fallen sharply – down 67% (to 10,082) in Europe for the fi rst half of 2025 compared with the year before. Speaking about the Megane E-Tech’s 2026 refresh, Cambolive said it will get a larger battery. This is likely to be the 91kWh pack used in the Ariya Nismo and Scenic. In the hot Nissan, the battery offers up to 310 miles of range. Autocar understands the facelift will bring a new grille, new daytime-running lights and a lower, wider stance, although Renault Group design boss Laurens van den Acker would not be drawn into specifics. On the need to refresh the hatch, van den Acker admitted: “We need to sell more of it.” He added: “If you put a new battery in the car, which is very expensive, and you don’t change the car, then it’s really hard to seduce people to pay more for it. “So we needed to justify the change underneath the skin by showing something on the skin. And then we thought that what the world was missing was kind of a hot-looking EV. And so we thought we had nothing to lose, so we’ll just push that.”

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