Renault Kadjar confirmed for Australia

UPDATE 14/09/2018 00:01am: Renault Australia has officially confirmed the Kadjar will be launched Down Under next year.

“It is with great excitement that I can confirm that the Renault Kadjar SUV will be coming to Australia in the second half of 2019,” said Renault Australia managing director Andrew Moore.

“The stylish Kadjar mid-size SUV is a strong seller in Europe and along with our smaller Captur SUV and larger Koleos SUV product offerings, will provide Renault with a genuine SUV line-up to appeal to a wide range of Australian customers.”

Moore said the Kadjar will be positioned to compete with some of the most popular mid-size models in Australia’s biggest SUV segment.

“It’s an interesting car because it’s a little bit bigger than [Nissan] QASHQAI and [Kia] Sportage, so we’ll be positioned very competitively against those vehicles.”

While the Kadjar will slot between the small Captur and large Koleos in Renault Australia’s SUV range, Moore hopes the recently-revealed, all-new Arkana coupe-crossover will eventually follow once right-hand drive production is confirmed and production from southeast Asia secured.

“Further adding to our SUV line-up, I hope, may be the recently revealed Renault Arkana crossover,” he said.

“This distinctive new crossover is ready to break the mould of the SUV market, thanks to its bold and unique design.

“We believe the Arkana is a fantastic fit for our market and as such my team is pushing hard to have this vehicle developed in right-hand drive. I hope to make further announcements about this exciting model in the future.”

The Arkana, an early teaser image of which was mistaken for a coupe version of the Captur, would expand Renault Australia’s SUV line-up to four models, but remains at least two years away.

“The market is obviously moving to SUV, which is now 65 per cent of the market,” said Moore. “I think Arkana could shake up the segment and having Kadjar next year will give us a whole SUV suite.

“Our ambition for Renault Australia is to become a strong player in the SUV segment. We’ve already seen the success in the popular SUV space with our top-selling Koleos and our intention is that in the future we will have an SUV which perfectly matches the various lifestyles of all Australians.”

13/09/2018 11:00am: A mid-life update for the Renault Kadjar has been revealed overnight, heralding new exterior and interior designs, new engines and interior features, and improved comfort and practicality.

First launched in Europe in 2015, the Renault Kadjar compact SUV slots in between the smaller Renault Captur and larger Renault Koleos SUVs, but has never been sold in Australia.

If it was released here, the Renault Kadjar would rival vehicles like the Nissan QASHQAI and Kia Sportage in terms of both size and price.

Renault Australia has not yet confirmed the new model for Australia but has previously indicated its interest in the Kadjar, which would expand its SUV range to three models.

The facelifted 2019 Renault Kadjar places a new emphasis on quality, according to the French car-maker, with a flush-mounted 7.0-inch touch-screen infotainment system on top-shelf models, complete with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality.

Redesigned seats with double-density foam are claimed to improve long-journey comfort and changes to interior trim, climate control and cup-holders are supposed to make the cabin a nicer place to spend time. Air-vents have been added for back-seat passengers, along with a pair of USB ports.

The boot has 472 litres of space and is augmented by 70/30-split folding rear seats operated by quick-release levers, allowing the car to swallow objects up to 2.5 metres long.

Externally, the Renault Kadjar gets mildly updated front and rear designs, with a bigger grille and carryover C-shape headlight clusters.

The indicators and fog lights, along with the tail-lights, are now LEDs. The rear brake lights have been redesigned and flow into the boot now.

Engine-wise, the small SUV is available with a 1.3-litre four-cylinder petrol engine (103 or 118kW) plus 1.5-litre (84kW) or 1.8-litre (110kW) turbo-diesel engines.

Manual and dual-clutch automatic transmissions are offered, as are front- and all-wheel drive systems.

Since its launch in 2015, the Renault Kadjar has found more than 450,000 homes globally. As Renault Australia’s national reach and brand value continues to rise, it would be a natural fit in Australia’s booming SUV market.

Renault car sales in Australia are down by 4.5 per cent in 2018 compared to last year, 6940 versus 7270, but the brand has made significant market gains over the past few years compared to its French rivals, Peugeot and Citroen.

The Koleos SUV is Renault Australia’s best-seller, followed by its two commercial vans, the Master and Trafic.