FROM THE SKIES TO THE ROAD – It will be called Renault Rafale the new suv-coupe that the French house will present on June 18th. It will be a model of segment D, therefore with an important length (about 470-480 cm), built on the CMF-CD platform, which will complete the family of cars with E-Tech hybrid engines. The name is inspired by the aeronautical past of the French brand, which in 1933 bought the manufacturer Caudron creating Caudron-Renault: a year later the company launched a airplane from a single-seater race that took the name of the Rafale wind. It is no coincidence that the preview of the new model will take place at the Le Bourget Air and Space Show.
DYNAMIC LINES – The new Renault Rafale will be positioned at the top of the lozenge brand’s range. A first teaser released by Renault (in photo above It is in the video below) shows a very different silhouette from those of theSpace, with which it should share most of the components. The line of roof is low and sloping, revealing a hint of the tail, on which the rear light clusters rest. Up front, the daytime running lights consist of one horizontal and two almost vertical elements that meet in the center of the bumper. Here we notice a red detail, also present on the rear bumper and on the spoiler above the rear window, which conveys the sporty soul of the car.
SICURAMENTE FULL HYBRID – Like its sister Espace, the Renault Rafale it should be driven by the engine E-Tech hybrid of the French house, which combines the 3-cylinder turbo 1.2 with two electric motors, one inserted in the gearbox and the other combined with the internal combustion engine. The result is a system output of 200 hp. Given the high positioning, it is instead difficult to imagine the Rafale could also be equipped with the Austral’s basic engine, namely the 1.2-litre 130 HP 3-cylinder mild hybrid.
