PARIS — Renault has released a teaser photo of the Arkana, a compact SUV/crossover for global markets that will go on sale in Russia next year.
Renault will debut the model at the Moscow auto show on Aug. 29.
The Arkana “is ready to break the mold of the SUV market thanks to its unique design, Renault said in a statement. Spy photos of test cars showed a coupe profile.
The car will initially be built in Renault’s factory outside of Moscow, which also builds the Kaptur small SUV and the Dacia Duster, which is badged as a Renault and Nissan Terrano for the Russian market. The Arkana will be based on the same architecture as the Kaptur and Duster/Terrano, according to Renault’s Drive the Future strategic plan.
Renault would not say what other markets will get the Arkana, but it will be part of the company’s low-cost Global Access range. The Drive the Future plan refers to a new small SUV that will be sold in Russia, China, Brazil and South Korea.
The design could appear in Europe with different architecture — a practice Renault calls platform “swapability” — as an example, the Russian Kaptur uses the same body as the Captur sold in Europe, which is based on the Clio.
The Russian market has been a recent bright spot for Renault, which took full control over the Lada brand at the end of 2016 and also sells Renault brand vehicles there. Sales for Lada, the No. 1 brand in Russia, increased 20 percent in the first half of 2018, and sales for fourth-ranked Renault sales rose 13 percent in the same period, according to the trade group AEB. The Renault Nissan Mitsubishi alliance had a 34 percent market share in the first half, down one percentage point from 2017.
Renault said the Arkana name is derived from the Latin word arcanum, for secret or mystery.