Renault released the first teaser image of the Austral in December last year, almost exactly three months ago. At the time, we didn’t know there would be so many teasers coming from the French company, trying to build up a huge buzz surrounding the debut of the Kadjar replacement. The full and official premiere is scheduled for next week and we can’t wait for the teaser campaign to be over. Until then, here’s one more preview of the new Austral.
This time around, however, it doesn’t come from Renault but instead, our colleagues from Kolesa.ru have prepared two renderings showing us the SUV from nearly all angles. We don’t know whether these drawings were made from scratch, though we recognize some of the shapes of the Kadjar that is still available to order in many European countries.
Gallery: Renault Austral renderings
However, the Austral will be a brand new model featuring a new design language inspired by the Megane E-Tech Electric. There are some notable differences between the two vehicles, though, with the lighting signature of the new SUV being one of its most distinctive design features. The bold front fascia has the updated Renault logo, which takes inspiration from the company’s emblem styles from the past.
In some European markets, Renault is best known for its diesel engines, but the new Austral will likely be offered only with electrified gas powertrains. Diesel motors are not available for the new Nissan Qashqai, which will share its underpinnings with the Kadjar replacement. At its market launch, the Austral will come with a reworked 1.3-liter 12-volt mild-hybrid engine and a brand new 1.2-liter TCe unit with 48V mild-hybrid tech.
The Austral will make its debut in just five days from now. The big premiere is scheduled for March 8 when we will have all the details about the French SUV.