Renault is eyeing more electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrids for Australia in the coming years, meeting the government’s new emissions regulations with a raft of new models kick-started by the Scenic E-Tech.
Speaking with media at the local launch of the revived Scenic, Renault’s country manager for Oceania, Arnaud Mourgue, said he was confident that Renault’s newest electric SUV in Australia would help the brand stay ahead of New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) penalties.
“Scenic, as you know, is a key weapon to fight the NVES policy,” he said.
“So we need that in order to generate credits, and it’s in this environment that we place a lot of hope, and we are quite confident that Scenic will be able to generate credit for us with the stronger USPs [unique selling propositions] of the vehicle.”
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Under the NVES, brands that outperform each year’s average fleet-wide carbon emission target will generate ‘credits’ that they can use to offset the sale of less-efficient vehicles. They can also sell these credits to other manufacturers struggling to meet their goals.
Renault EVs like the Scenic E-Tech (priced from $55,990 before on-road costs) will be increasingly important for the brand, as these regulations will penalise manufacturers for exceeding increasingly strict carbon emissions targets over the coming years.
While Renault was one of several brands to meet the first fleet-wide CO2 target last year, thereby avoiding penalties for the time being, its local arm has so far been reluctant to introduce additional EVs beyond the current Kangoo E-Tech, Megane E-Tech, and now Scenic E-Tech.
But the brand’s French executives maintain that more Renault EVs and hybrids are in the pipeline for Australia, consistent with a previous commitment to introduce six new or refreshed models locally before the end of 2026 – starting with the Scenic.
“[Scenic is] part of a strategy to expand the lineup of full-electric vehicles in Australia alongside [hybrid], which will come later on,” Mr Mourgue said.
“We are studying all the different opportunities to bring and to expand the electric vehicles in Australia. The main issue today we see is that the largest segment in Australia is the medium and large SUVs, so small vehicles like the Renault 4, Renault 5, and Twingo represent a tiny portion of the Australian market.”
Mr Mourgue added that Renault is “always looking at opportunities” to introduce smaller EVs to Australia, but would remain focused on offering a “proper alternative” in the local medium- and large-sized segments.
“But we remain open, and I will say on the small car, we have the Renault 5 Turbo 3E, which is available for Australia and which will be quite interesting also for very few customers in Australia,” he said.
Beyond the wild $300,000-plus Renault 5 Turbo 3E, it’s unlikely we’ll see the smaller Renault Twingo, Renault 4 E-Tech, or Renault 5 E-Tech in Australia any time soon. Non-compliance with Australian Design Rules was cited as a key factor, with Renault hesitant to invest in the necessary changes.
Still, there’s plenty that could be brought to Australia before the end of 2026. The arrival of the Scenic E-Tech leaves five new or refreshed models still to come, with candidates at this point including the Symbioz small hybrid SUV (potentially replacing the Captur) and the larger, Geely-based Filante hybrid SUV.
Other possibilities include an Arkana with hybrid technology, and the Dacia Bigster – the latter of which would almost certainly be rebadged as a Renault, as was the case with the Duster. The Megane E-Tech may also be due for an update in Australia.
With nothing confirmed, Renault Australia general manager Glen Sealey promised his brand “may have some surprises” in the next six months.
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