Renault Arkana Study Previews Poor Man’s X4, Is Not For Europe

Renault will become one of the first mainstream car manufacturers to have a coupe-SUV in its lineup once the Arkana show car you see here morphs into a production model next year.

For now, however, the vehicle is billed as a concept car — although it’s plain to see we’re dealing with a pre-production prototype. Renault says the Arkana is a fusion “between the elegance of a saloon and the sturdiness of an SUV,” and we have to admit it doesn’t look half bad.

The concept car previews a new C-segment crossover that will be sold globally after its introduction to Russia in 2019. However, Renault points out that the Arkana won’t go on sale in Europe.

Styling-wise, the Renault Arkana show car sports rugged traits such as the high ground clearance and wide wheel arches filled with 19-inch alloys. However, it also looks elegant thanks to details including the high waistline and sloping coupé-like roofline, not to mention the side chrome detailing and panoramic glass roof.

Seen from the side, it looks more like a jacked-up sedan than a coupe crossover. The Arkana also incorporates specific Renault design cues such as the C-shaped headlights, the strip that unites the taillights, and the corporate grille.

Following its launch in Russia in 2019, the Renault Arkana will be produced and marketed in different countries throughout the world, including in Asia and other regions. However, there are no plans for it to be sold in Europe.

Renault has chosen the Moscow Auto Show as a venue for the Arkana’s world debut because the automaker claimed almost one-third of the Russian market in 2017, with 448,270 vehicles (28 percent market share). Russia is also Groupe Renault’s number two market worldwide and is set to become the company’s leading market by 2022.

Furthermore, the idea for the Arkana apparently came from Russia, and the project was conducted with the strong involvement of Renault Russia teams. No technical details are available for now but given that the new model will be built at the same Moscow plant where the Renault Kaptur is made, chances are it shares underpinnings with the AWD crossover.