Renault Rafale India debut is less likely – Here Renault has plans to bring back Duster brand
At the 54th Paris Air Show held at La Borguet, Renault showcased its flagship Rafale SUV. With the Rafale name, Renault is celebrating its airplane manufacturing heritage from the 1930s. The first ever Rafale plane was built in 1934 by Caudron Renault in the form of C460. Rafale shares its platform with other Renault vehicles like Austral and Espace.
At first glance, it is an all new SUV from the French brand that takes a fastback shape. The rear three-quarter is probably the best angle for Rafale. It features a clutchless hybrid powertrain and will be the brand’s flagship offering in its global portfolio. Launch timeline is not yet out. But it will probably launch in 2024.
Renault Rafale Debuts – New French fastback SUV
From the front, there is a large grille in Black finish that houses Renault’s logo. Sleek LED headlights flank this grille. The bonnet features two character lines and Renault has designed this bonnet to look like a clamshell unit, but it isn’t. Front bumper features sharp creases that neatly blend into its boomerang-shape LED DRLs.
There is a wide lower grille that gets faux skid plates as well. From the sides, coupe-ish fastback design is immediately evident. What is also evident is its 4.7m length and 2.74m wheelbase. Alloy wheels look like they’re 19” or 20” in size and look very new-age. ORVMs are fairly large and feature a Black finish, matching the front grille.
Rear fastback design is accentuated by a sporty roof spoiler. Bottom end of the rear windshield is almost level with the window line, which is a neat touch. This should enhance visibility too. Rear LED tail lights are very attractive and rear bumpers get Black treatment as well. Tailgate features Renault logo and a stylistic Rafale badge.
On the inside, Renault is offering an interesting flat-bottom steering wheel with controls. There is a rotary dial on the steering too. That is likely to control drive modes for hybrid powertrain. There is a large instrumentation display in landscape orientation and a large portrait display for infotainment. Other than that, the dashboard and center console are fairly minimal (no buttons).
Hybrid powertrains don’t feature a clutch
At launch, Renault Rafale will feature a hybrid powertrain with a 1.2L 3-cylinder petrol engine with two electric motors. Combined, power output is 194 bhp of which the petrol engine is capable of 127 bhp. Between the engine and a 4-speed automatic gearbox, there is a 66 bhp electric drive motor with an integrated 2-speed dog box.
Second motor acts as ISG and even recuperates lost kinetic energy. This powertrain stores electrical energy in a 2 kWh battery and this entire setup only drives the front wheels. A 290 bhp powertrain with AWD is in the works too. This will be a PHEV with a larger battery that promises an E-range of up to 64 km. India launch is less likely, though.
