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Renault will give the Megane a radical “hot hatch” facelift next year, in an effort to revive the EV’s stark downturn in sales.

The current Megane launched in 2022 as one of the first of Renault new-age electric cars.

While successful at first, after four years sales have dipped rapidly: down 67% (to 10,082) in the first half of 2025 compared to the year before. 

This has coincided with the brand launching newer - and cheaper - EVs in the Renault 4 and 5 within the past year, which have racked up more than three times the hatch’s sale.

Now, Renault CEO Fabrice Cambolive has confirmed  they want to reposition the Megane as a “hot car”.

Speaking at the launch of the new Clio at the Munich motor show, he said: “Megane E-Tech was our first, first, real EV car since the beginning of ‘Renaulution’. It was launched at a moment where the EV [uptake] was not so high. 

“Now, what we are looking for is to have a hot hatch or a hot car. That's the direction we want to go in.”

While he was coy on any technical specifics, Cambolive said the car will get a larger battery – and this is likely to be the 91kWh pack used in the larger Scenic. In that car, it offers up to 379 miles of range, up 87 miles on the most efficient current Megane. 

This need to refresh the hatch was backed by Renault Group design boss Laurens van den Acker, who admitted “we need to sell more of it”.

To do that, he added: “We need to do something. If you put a new battery in the car, which is very expensive, and you don't change the car, then it's really hard pressed to seduce people to pay more or anything for it. 

“So we needed to do justify to change underneath the skin by showing something on the skin. And then we thought that what the world was missing was kind of a hot-looking EV. 

“And so we thought we had nothing to lose, so we'll just push that.”

Autocar understands the facelift will involve a new grille, fresh daytime running lights and a lower and wider stance, although van den Acker would not be drawn into specifics.

The new Megane will arrive in the middle of next year, likely holding a premium over the current car’s £32,495 starting price.

Cupra's new Tindaya concept car shows how the Spanish brand will emphasise driver engagement in its next cars - and uses a radical new range-extender (REx) drivetrain that enables it to go further and faster than current Cupra EVs.

At 4.72 metres long, it's the largest car Cupra has built – and with a 0-62mph time of just 4.1sec, it's also the quickest.

But while it is likely to eventually make production in toned-down form (potentially as a successor to today's Formentor), the Tindaya has been created primarily to show off the futuristic technology and radical new design cues that will be rolled out to all upcoming Cupra models. 

New powertrains

Hypothetically based on the same SSP platform that will underpin other Volkswagen Group EVs (including the next Volkswagen Golf and Skoda Octavia), the Tindaya is said to offer the choice of either pure-electric power or, as showcased in this concept, a new REx system that uses a petrol engine to charge the battery.

This is the first indication that the SSP architecture can accommodate a combustion powertrain of any sort – and suggests that a similar set-up could be deployed in other next-generation Volkswagen Group cars. 

The Tindaya REx's drivetrain comprises an electric motor on each axle giving a combined 489bhp, a battery that's good for 186 miles of range in its own right and a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine that Cupra says could boost that to a huge 620 miles by topping up the battery on the move.

Cupra hasn’t given any specifics about its make-up, but Volkswagen-owned American SUV brand Scout will offer its electric 4x4s with the option of a naturally aspirated four-cylinder petrol engine as a REx, sourced from Volkswagen's Mexico factory, and that's likely the unit used here.

Cupra is the latest in a line of manufacturers – including Mazda, Hyundai, Leapmotor and Ford – to experiment with REx technology in Europe, amid a surge in demand for such powertrains in China.

It hasn't shared any plans to deploy such a set-up in a production car, but sibling brand Volkswagen has suggested that wavering uptake of pure-EVs in Europe could create a hospitable market for REx alternatives.

More concrete are the clues the Tindaya provides with regard to the styling of Cupra's next-generation line-up, which head of UX/UI design Ruben Rodriguez Bosch said is all about emphasising emotional appeal.

"When we created this car, we didn't want to create another machine - we wanted to create a car that is alive, like an animal, with some kind of connection with the driver," he explained.

Design overhaul

As such, there are display screens at each end of the car that are said to give the effect of breathing, while the muscular haunches and accentuated curves down the sides are described as 'humanised sculptures' - complete with exposed 'under-skin' in the lower portion, where lightweight BComp material represents the Tindaya's "muscles and nerves".

BComp – a "more respectful" alternative to carbonfibre that Cupra will use on upcoming models – is also used to mark out the prominent 'blister' motif that runs around the rear arches. 

The use of lots of different materials and colours in the Tindaya's design is all about managing the proportions to "reduce the visual effect" of its substantial silhouette, Rodriguez Bosch said.

The Tindaya's cabin is more conceptual, and certain elements like the pillarless reverse-opening doors, floating seats and full-length centre console will never make it to showrooms - but it nonetheless gives a good idea of what future Cupra cars will look like inside. 

"It's a vision that will influence our products in the future," Rodriguez Bosch told Autocar, with the prevailing priority being to emphasise the brand's commitment to driver engagement.

"No drivers, no Cupra," he said. "We love driving, we love cars and we create products for our customers who also love driving their cars."

That driver-centric focus manifests in a cockpit that has been designed with heavy influence from sports cars and racing, and majors on tactility. The steering wheel, for example, is swapped out for a serious-looking yoke (that is connected electronically to the wheels and so only needs to turn through 180deg); all four seats are carbon-tubbed buckets; there's a 24in wraparound display and control panel ahead of the driver; and most core functions are controlled using traditional switches and buttons.

"All the elements are for the person that is in command of the car", explained Rodriguez Bosch, adding an emphasis on analogue controls over touchscreens.

"We are going back to more physical buttons. For example, we could have done capacitive switches [on the steering wheel] but these are mechanical switches.

"We are bringing back the physical because the interaction is better."

It's not all about preserving tradition, though: there is a full-width wraparound digital display at the base of the windscreen, an advanced voice control system and a unique, interactive prism-shaped device in the centre console that's used to change the interior settings and drive mode. 

However, in a notable shift away from convention, the Tindaya does not feature a touchscreen - and that's because Cupra sees the potential for artificial intelligence to eventually be able to serve much the same purpose.

AI could replace touchscreeens

"We see AI as an enabler for new ways of interaction for the future," explained Rodriguez Bosch. "A few years ago, voice assistants didn't work properly, so it was very difficult to drive by voice, but we see AI as a potential opportunity to improve that."

Asked if that means Cupra thinks its customers are ready to ditch touchscreens in their cars, he said: "We will be soon. Maybe not now, but soon. One year ago, there was no AI, and now that technology is evolving really, really fast, and people are adapting as fast as the technology is evolving.

"All cars have all the content, all the time, in screens - and here we are trying to change that, offering only what you need."

The Tindaya's emphasis on driver enjoyment and sporting thrills is similar to that of Cupra's radical DarkRebel supercar concept from 2022, but Rodriguez Bosch said the new show car takes a less exclusive approach. 

"People driving this kind of car [an SUV] also want to have a nice driving experience, and this is where we think Cupra comes in," he said. "We offer products that are more for daily use but with a nice experience. It's the evolution of [the DarkRebel] into a daily-use car."