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RenaultSport Rules Out Performance SUVs — Legacy Trumps Sales For Once
French carmaker Renault's performance division RenaultSport has ruled out any possible RS-branded SUV models.
According to Australian website Motoring, the French carmaker had been pondering over creating a performance-focused variant of the Captur (image above) and Kadjar SUVs last year.
However, it would seem that after 12 months of pondering all the hoopla about a RS branded SUV has cooled down at Renault's performance division.
A senior source working closely with RenaultSport told Motoring "The RS SUV is cancelled, it's finished. It's not going to happen."
"Sure, RenaultSport can make a really nice car, a car that handles maybe unlike any other SUV, but there's a worry there is no demand for it."
The source added. " Okay, you might say ‘But Audi make sporty SUVs and they sell' and you would be right... But we need to remember, we're not Audi and it is too risky to try."
Another reason for RenaultSport's reluctance to enter the SUV market was that Renault's performance arm didn't want to undermine its legacy which has been solely focused on making hot hatchbacks since 1999.
However, Renault's performance division is currently under quite a lot of pressure to double its sales figures of 40,000 cars sold (2014) by the year 2019.
However, Jean-Christophe Kugler, Renault's European chairman has stated that the his company's performance brand will increase volumes by expanding RenaultSport into new regions like China and India and not by building SUVs.
Till Renault changes its mind, anyone looking for a performance SUV will have to look at the Germans (Mercedes, Audi and BMW) or look towards Jeep and its SRT branded SUVs.
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