Renault Kardian will be new compact crossover

Renault today announces the name of a new compact urban SUV, a car intended for ‘international markets’. We can reassure those who can no longer see the crossover forest in the current car landscape because of the tall trees. The Renault Kardian is not coming to the Netherlands and is purely intended for growth markets, the Dutch importer confirms to AutoWeek.

That is not very surprising. Renault already indicates that the Kardian will be the first to be marketed in South America and that the brand will start its model offensive ‘outside Europe’ with it. Still, it’s nice to know for sure. The Renault Kardian will be presented in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on October 25, but you no longer have to guess at the appearance of the car.

Do you recognize the Dacia Sandero in it?

On a teaser plate that Renault releases of the Kardian, we already see a piece of the rear light. What seems? The Renault Kardian is the car that AutoWeek was able to show you from all angles in March this year (photos 2 to 10). In countries where Dacia has never been active, Dacia models go through life as Renault. Including in South America. The current generation Dacia Sandero does not yet exist there as a Renault and it seems that this Renault Kardian will change that. At least, to some extent. The patent plates already made it clear that the windows of the Kardian correspond to those of the Sandero.

A few years ago, Renault indicated that it is done with ‘Dacias with Renault badges’. This Kardian seems like a way to bring the Sandero with its own Renault front and its own Renault rear to South America and other growth markets without having to incur too great costs. The question is whether it will replace the Sandero there, or whether it will be placed next to it as a more expensive model.