RENAULT MEGANE POISED FOR RADICAL HOT HATCH REVAMP

Facelift will usher in an overtly sporty new look and potent range-topper

- WILL RIMELL

Renault will 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.