At Renault, there was the GT Line label, since replaced by the name RS Line. The latter will, in turn, give way to the Alpine Line label. It is the new Renault Mégane E-Tech Electric which will launch it in 2023 on the version with the large 87 kW battery.
The times are changing ! At Renault, the line of the compact thermal sedan Mégane, which appeared in 1995 and whose fourth version has been in the catalog since 2016, will gradually give way to a 100% electric crossover. The latter, baptized Renault Mégane E-Tech Electric, will arrive in concession in March 2022.
TO READ. Price, range and equipment of the Renault Mégane E-Tech Electric
RS Line: hybridization more than sport?
Due to the disappearance of Renault Sport in favor of Alpine, the RS Line brand will disappear in favor of an Alpine Line label. Initiated by the Renault Clio in autumn 2019, the RS Line finish was then affixed to the Renault Captur, Renault Mégane, Mégane Estate and Renault Arkana. This sporty presentation is not characterized by more powerful exclusive engines. There are blocks already present in the range and the emphasis is on hybrid and plug-in hybrid technologies.
The Renault RS Line range includes the Clio, Captur, Mégane, Mégane Estate and Arkana with the common thread of hybridization and rechargeable hybridization.
In short, the RS Line label now brings together “green” sports cars making amends from their 160 cumulative hp. Would the name be overused? Not necessarily because among premium brands, it is not uncommon to find Audi S line, BMW Pack M, Mercedes AMG Line or even DS Performance Line powered by entry-level three-cylinder engines. Priority having been given to the look. By relying in turn on the rewarding and suggestive image of Alpine, the Group’s “high performance” firm, Renault is part of this movement.
Mégane: the first Alpine Line!
To inaugurate its Alpine Line label, Renault has found the ideal candidate: the Mégane E-Tech Electric. A model that opens a new era in the history of the car manufacturer. You would have understood it, this Renault Mégane E-Tech Electric Alpine Line will not be an overpowered version but it will be at the top of the range. Under the front hood, the 220 hp electric motor, which could slightly increase to 240 hp, will be mated to a more powerful 87 kW battery. Its rival, the Volkswagen ID.3, will also have a sporty GTX livery in 2022.
Its presentation will logically be more distinctive with dark touches judiciously placed here and there, carbon fiber and a subtle decoration evoking the universe of the brand at the “A”. On board, the sport atmosphere should use blue stitching while a specific Alpine Line display mode on large digital screens would be perfectly consistent.
For Renault, the avowed objective is to enhance the Mégane, give it a touch of distinction and at the same time to increase the bill by increasing the margin. For his part, the customer will not drive at the wheel of the Mégane of Monsieur Tout-le-Monde and will have, in a way, already set foot in Alpine. This Renault Mégane E-Tech Electric Alpine Line, providing the link with the future Crossover of the Alpine brand, the project known internally under the code PZ110, will arrive in 2023. According to Luca de Meo, the big boss of the Renault group , strengthening the links between brands is essential and playing coherently on synergies is the right tactic.
But this is not new in itself, remember the Renault 5 Alpine in 1976. Moreover, in the wake of the Mégane E-Tech Electric Alpine Line, the future Renault 5 E-Tech Electric which will begin its career early 2024 will also be labeled Alpine Line. Perfect for closing the loop legitimately. All new products will also feature this brand, like the new Kadjar family as well as the compact electric SUV (code HCB) presented at the Paris Motor Show in 2022 and marketed in the fall of 2023.
