In tragic news for hot hatch enthusiasts, Renault is set to axe the Megane RS from the lineup next year, with an all-electric E-Tech successor already in the pipeline.
The news comes from Drive, recently speaking with Renault Australia’s chief, Glen Sealey, about the fate of the iconic hot hatch, now in its third generation. He confirmed the RS will be retired from the showroom at the end of 2023. Sealey is quoted as saying:
“Megane RS ceases next year. I don’t have the production end date yet, but from a production stand-point it won’t continue beyond the end of next year. The demand for a hot hatch in Europe is waning. That can be replaced with an electric car. And it makes commonsense to switch across.”
The planned replacement is coming in the form of a performance variant of the upcoming Megane e-Tech, which first popped up back in September, 2021.
The Megane e-Tech was unveiled with two e-motor configurations, one pushing out 96kW/250Nm in the base model, with outputs increasing to 160kW/300Nm in the upper spec model. Range figures stand at 300km and 470km, respectively.
Compared with the current Megan RS Trophy, which puts out 221kW/420Nm from a 1.8-litre turbocharged four-cylinder, it’s likely that an RS variant of the e-Tech will feature a much more powerful e-motor configuration to appease the masses.
