The Renault Austral is a compact crossover SUV (C-segment) manufactured and marketed by Renault. It was unveiled in March 2022 as a successor to the Kadjar, and built on the third-generation CMF-CD platform. It was publicly exhibited for the first time at the 2022 Paris Motor Show. Production began in July 2022 in Spain at the Palencia plant.
Its derivatives include the sixth-generation Renault Espace, a long-wheelbase family-oriented version of the Renault Austral with three-row seating, and the Renault Rafale, a coupé SUV. The three vehicles are sharing 75 percent of their parts.
Overview
The "Austral" name was derived from the Latin word "australis", and has been trademarked since 2005.
The Austral has the new retro-inspired Renault logo that debuted on the Mégane E-Tech, has full-LED headlights using Renault's C-shaped signature daytime running lights, and boomerang-shaped LED taillights joins the logo on either side of the tailgate. The Austral adopts Renault's new design, called Sensual Tech.
According to Agneta Dahlgren, Renault design project director, "the result is materialized by the combination of generous shapes, curved shoulders, projecting sides and the integration of subtle technical details such as high-tech headlamps. which reinforce its identity design”.
The dashboard of the Austral, called OpenR, is largely inspired by that of the Mégane E-Tech, but the layout is slightly revised.