These days everything is focused on ending 2021, a year with ups and downs that seemed to sign the sentence of the pandemic. I say it seemed because it seems that we still have something more to fight, such as the automobile sector with the crisis due to a shortage of materials and microchips for its production. With our sights set on 2022, we will tell you about the news that will arrive over the next few months, highlighting a bombshell such as the first Ferrari SUV, called Purosangre, or future cars in our parking lot such as the Renault Mégane E-Tech Electric. This compact changes completely to enter zero-emission mobility, with a clear crossover focus and cutting-edge technology. However, it will not be the only SUV-looking car that will present the signature of the diamond, the Renault Austral will also arrive in spring 2022 .
This SUV with a clear family focus will measure 4.51 meters long, making it somewhat smaller than the Renault Arkana at 4.57 meters. Of course, they have a very different target customer. The Arkana, with its coupe and sporty design, is less practical but fits those drivers who prefer to show off their good taste. The Austral, on the other hand, will seek to meet the needs of a family . The rivals of this latest French launch will be alternatives such as the Citroën C5 Aircross, Kia Sportage, Opel Grandland or Peugeot 3008, among others.
A mystical name
At the beginning of December, Renault unveiled the name of its next SUV, which will be produced at the Palencia factory. Without a doubt, the choice of a car is a whole process of decisions, which can be the most successful or just the opposite. Sylvia Dos Santos, Head of the Denominations Strategy of Renault’s Global Marketing Department, spoke about this path. Come on, the one who decides the names of the vehicles in the rhombus and who tells us why he has opted for Austral.
As they tell us from the signing, Austral comes from the Latin «austrālis» and is a widespread word present in many European languages. As Sylvia sees it, “it evokes the colors and warmth of the southern hemisphere . It’s a travel-friendly name and perfectly suited for an SUV. Its phonetics are harmonious, balanced and easy to pronounce for everyone, a key point in its international deployment.
An SUV for Renault
Beyond the name that, personally, I think is the most accurate, we are interested in the characteristics of the Austral. We still do not have much information and only a few spy photos have been revealed, so we will have to wait to get to know this five-seater SUV little by little. For now, we know that they are focusing it within the firm’s offensive to reconquer the C segment as Luca de Meo marked in his Renaulution plan.
If we take into account the Alliance launches with Nissan, such as the future Qashqai , the Austral should be offered in variants of combustion, light hybridization and some self-charging hybrid . The only images that the brand has released refer to its rear, in a silver color. If we listen to the promise of its design language, we imagine an Arkana with a Mégane E-Tech front and the more vertical rear with the beam of light that runs through the entire tailgate.
