Why Renault should launch Megane RS/ Megane E-Tech in India?

Renault is a very interesting brand. It is considered to make good consumer cars for the Indian car market. And consumers also reward good cars with good sales. But it is not considered in the same leagues as its German counterparts in terms of quality. However, cars like Kiger as well as a new version of Kwid have proven to be good in terms of Crash safety rating but also offer cars at a very affordable price and do not do too much cost cutting. Cough Cough Citroen C3 Cough Cough. But they haven’t yet offered anything enthusiastic in India when in Europe they do sell quite a lot of them and are always on the shopping lists of buyers looking for Fiesta STs, Golf GTIs etc. We think introducing their Hot Hatch Renault Megane RS will improve their reputation a lot more. Allow us to elaborate as we show what a gem India is not being shown.

Renault launched Megane way back in 2004 to rival the likes of the VW Scirocco and that batch of more sexy versions of their Hatchbacks. The first generation was very well received even if it may have been considered to be a bit unreliable. Soon, they launched the current generation and they improved a lot of things on it. Quietly it has become the Civic Type R alternative for hot hatch under 30k GBP or Rs. 29 lakhs. The last generation of the Civic Type R was extremely overstyled and people wanted something more understated yet stylish. That’s where Renault Megane RS came and stole the show.

This generation of the Renault Megane RS is powered by a 1.8 litre 4 cylinder turbo engine which produced 280hp and with a midcycle refresh makes 300Hp now! In addition, it also makes 420 Nm of torque. It is powered by a 6-speed dual-clutch transmission and powers the front wheels. The party piece of a Megane is the use of rear-wheel steering to combat things like torque steer. That single-handedly made the Megane a really good handling hot hatch better than VW Golf GTI as said by many. The ultimate edition which is its final model year at the end of 2023 is going to come with RS trophy brakes as standard which is another opulent GT3RS-esque version of the legendary hot hatch. Even with a lack of a manual, it is still really good at giving driving pleasure through those chunky paddle shifters.

The ultime edition is a fully loaded last hurrah for the Megane RS includes a 60mm wide front and 45mm wide rear fenders and a centre exhaust. There is a special Ultime livery with black accents on door handles. This version is available in cool colours such as Tonic Orange, Sirius Yellow, Pearl White and Star Black.

On the inside, the Ultime comes with Recaro bucket seats wrapped in black Alcantara and upholstery with RS Logos. Signifying its status is a metal plate signed by development driver Laurent Hurgon who holds FWD lap records for tracks such as Nurburgring, Suzuka, and Spa-Francorchamps.

The standard Megane will be sold as an electric crossover signalling the end of an era for the Renaultsport Enthusiast brand. The tyres in the Megane RS ultime edition also come from Trophy R. This shows their commitment towards the community. Now why do we want a 30 lakh hot hatch in India? Simple! It will give good competition and destroy the likes of i20 N which is rumoured to launch in India as well at 25 Lakhs. Sure it sounds like a whole lot of money but Renault can also make use of a performance brand in India as they very well have the numbers to prove it may be a viable option. The pricing may be a bit interesting but as a CBU out of 1976 units. It surely would be rewarding India with a really good car. Also, they can then sell the Megane E Tech to rival the likes of Ioniq 5 in India. If they do it for either model it is a win-win situation. It would only be purchased by the few who have the resources and will improve the enthusiastic diversity in India. Overall, the Renault Megane RS was a great hot hatch which was underrated and didn’t sell as much as its more notable competition but it still retained a minority share in Hot Hatch sales. Not just the hot hatch, the Megane as even an electric crossover makes a lot of sense as they will be entering a market which has shown good amounts of demand for vehicles like these. However, we being the enthusiastic knuckle draggers do want to experience this automotive excellence on the Indian shores as it is an Era Defining car just like the Audi TT.

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Ojas Vadke
Ojas Vadke

A Person who loves cars and a regular guy with big dreams of owning his dream cars. Working as a Blog Writer with absolute lads at The Driver's Hub.

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