Renault Rafale TEASED as a Coupe SUV take on the Renault Austral

The Renault Rafale is teased ahead of a debut in Paris on 18 June as a Crossover/SUV Coupe based on the Renault Austral.

It’s more than a year since the Renault Austral arrived to replace the Renault Kadjar with new looks and new hybrid powertrains and sitting on Renault’s new SMF-CD Platform.

Now, Renault has decided to go after cars like the Peugeot 408 and Citroen C5 X with a new coupe SUV come Crossover take on the Austral with the new Renault Rafale, teased today in the image above ahead of a public debut on 18 June in Paris.

Renault is being a bit tight-lipped, for now, about tech specs, but we do know it will be an ‘E-Tech’ model which means hybrid only for now.

That hybrid powertrain is likely to be the same found in the Austral with a 1.2-litre petrol engine and electric motor, 1.7kWh battery and up to 196bhp.

Just like the Austral, the Rafale will also be offered as a titivated Esprit Alpine model with additional sporty bits, bigger alloys and more upmarket spec and materials. With the debut a month away you can expect further teases with more details confirmed.

And in case you were wondering, the Rafale name is an historic Renault one, although one attached to a single-seat racing plane in the 1930s, not a car.

Renault says:

Renault is reconnecting with its history and harnessing the legendary Caudron Rafale’s features in a new high-end car. The semantics point to wind and capture something about its camouflaged silhouette, which instantly conjures up visions of performance, daring, excitement and character.