A completely new crossover from the French manufacturer Renault enters the Russian market.
It's about the Arkana model, which has already made a lot of noise in the network. Yes, this is the first and so far the only cross-coupe car in its class. And this is the first car in the last few years that makes one draw attention to itself both with its appearance and with a cool combination of price and quality. He is really capable of blowing up the car market this year.
Why Renault Arkana is the opening of the 2019 season
And even at the beginning, in the first half of this very season. Firstly, this is a novelty in the budget segment, which means mass character and increased interest from several age groups of potential buyers at once. Secondly, competitors decided to sleep through the year 2019. What took advantage of domestic manufacturers and Renault.
If this was a strategically verified move, and not a coincidence, then a low bow to the marketing team of the French brand.
Appearance Arkana - one of the main advantages of this model. In Russia, in this class there are no cars with a cross-coupe body that are not expected. It turned out a kind of budget Mercedes-Benz GKC Coupe. On the one hand, this is a well-defined blow to the “Wishlist” of the young generation: the car looks very fresh. On the other hand, according to habits and characteristics, this car falls into the zone of interests of the older generation.
The crossover engine is another feature of the model. In the initial configurations, it will be a well-known and time-tested 1.6-liter gasoline engine, but in the higher trim levels there is a new 1.3-liter turbocharged engine with a capacity of 150 horsepower. The same engine jointly produced by Renault and Daimler is under the hood of A, B and C-Class from Mercedes-Benz. That is, questions about their reliability and validity of use disappear by themselves.
A new multimedia system monitor appeared in the cabin, which received the filling from Yandex. We tested the pre-production machines and the beta version of the integrated multimedia system, so there were a lot of questions. Let's see what happens as a result in commodity samples. As for the rest of the cabin, there are already familiar elements of a horny interior, and completely new motifs. This is all a matter of taste, but a lot of space both in front and on the back sofa is a fact. The fit is comfortable, everything is excellent ergonomically. The luggage compartment is the most impressive in the class, as is the wheelbase.
As for the fears of fans of country trips - do not worry. Cross-coupé - at the level of its neighbors in the line, Renault Duster and Kaptur. The platform is improved and completely redone, although it has a common architecture with colleagues. It does not make sense to talk in detail about the capabilities of Duster: a car in Russia is very popular and is known as an SUV with good cross-country ability, able to feel comfortable both in the city and on the highway.
Attitude to the Russian market. Here I want to cut a little live. The fact is that “Arkana” was made for the Russian market and according to all the requirements of our market. Russia is the first market for this car. Feel the mood? And this is at a time when the main Korean competitor, even the new generation of his popular crossover in our country is not particularly willing to take! (Naturally, this is a Hyundai Creta).
And the point here is not so much in the relation of brands to the Russian market, but in the attitude of the Russian consumer to brands. The experience of Ford has shown that the disregard for our (and not only) market has consequences. The consumer wants the car to be made for him, and not just driven somewhere from six months to a year after the premiere in other countries. This year, perhaps, only Skoda Karoq can still arouse the interest of buyers, but this is a story that will happen only by the end of the year.
Findings. The French made a knight's move in difficult times for the Russian market, while these same times were euthanized by competitors. Too many are now cautious, and someone has completely left the market. You can predict the success of the model, but we will wait for the official start of sales in dealerships.
Although Renault has already sold more than three hundred copies of Arkana in an online two-month period from the time they were launched on the brand’s official website. The beginning is promising.