Luxury Renault to take on R-Class

Renault is getting ready to reveal a luxurious new seven-seat ‘crossover’ car that could feature a hi-tech hybrid powertrain.

The newcomer is likely to be based on the Egeus concept (above), which made its debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2005.

Sitting above the new Koleos compact SUV, it will rival the Mercedes R-Class. The seven-seater will have a four-wheel-drive transmission like the German challenger. This will be tuned to deliver sharp on-road handling, rather than serious mud-plugging.

Speaking about the new vehicle, Renault spokesman Emmanuel Bonvier said: “We want the car to enhance our presence at the upper end of the sector. It will offer excellent handling, together with a practical interior layout. But it must also deliver low fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.

To achieve this, we will optimise our existing engine technology, while exploring the possibility of a hybrid drivetrain.”

It is likely that the new crossover will be built alongside the Koleos at the firm’s Samsung factory in South Korea.

Although no firm production plans have been made, Bonvier predicted that showroom-ready cars should be ready by 2012.