Current Renault Megane may be the last

A senior Renault executive has confided that the Renault Megane faces an uncertain future and could be dropped in favour of a pure-electric hatch in the next few years.

According to Renault chief designer Laurens van der Acker, speaking to

Instead of developing in an all-new fifth-generation Megane, van den Acker says his company is considering whether it should invest the substantial costs involved elsewhere.

“Inevitably, once we’re starting to add a range of EVs to our line-up, some of the other vehicles are going to have to go because we just can’t afford to develop all of this at the same time,” said van den Acker.

“The Megane is in a segment that’s increasingly under pressure. You have to put your money where the future of the market is,” explained the senior Renault exec.

Where once the Megane was a market leader, its sales in Europe have more than halved from 465,732 cars in 2010, to just 209,845 in 2019.

Renault's plans to launch a family of EVs that could one day replace the Megane is already well underway.

First to arrive is the production version of the pure-electric Morphoz EV concept that was unveiled in March.

Like the Volkswagen I.D. family, the French car-maker has created a dedicated pure-electric architecture for the small battery-powered SUV.

Called the CMF-EV, the new Renault EV platform packages batteries low in the vehicle's floor, between the axles, helping provide for an ultra-short bonnet.

Sadly, the concept's variable-wheelbase trick, which makes it able to lengthen or shorten automatically depending on the environment, is not set for production -- but much of its battery tech is.

Know-how accrued as part of its alliance with Nissan and the development of its first EV -- the Renault -- back in 2012, should give it an advantage over its rivals, and could make the new Renault EVs some of the most efficient available.

The concept's modest 40kWh battery, for example, was said to provide for a 400km range, while the larger 70kWh unit would see the Renault SUV cover 700km between top-ups.

Renault hasn't officially confirmed when the Morphoz SUV will go on sale, but it's thought the French car-maker is readying it for an on-sale date in early 2021.