Launched in 2021 in France, the Arkana remains a popular model among French buyers who seem to appreciate the coupe look combined with the habitability of a family car. In 2024, however, Arkana has lost a lot of ground. Logical, given the density of the Renault catalog.
For a long time Renault lived in the shadow of its lion rival in compact SUVs. The Kadjar in fact arrived quite late in the segment and was unable to disrupt the undeniable success of the second Peugeot 3008. Renault nevertheless had the solution before its eyes: a model assembled with the Korean partner in Busan. The Arkana is then finally offered to Europeans from 2021 after having been introduced, notably, in Russia. The coupe-like SUV does not invent the genre, but it transposes it to the general public with rather generous on-board volumes, a relatively attractive price and, later, a hybrid engine. which will be his strength. Renault is starting to make the right choices, whether on the strategic level of products or mechanics. But since then, the catalog at Renault has become significantly denser, causing internal competition between models which should not be rivals.
The Austral shakes up the Arkana
The particularity of the Arkana is that it is built on a… Clio base. Customers accept this, for those who are aware of the technical data. The others don’t even suspect that the technical base is stretched to the maximum for this Arkana and its 4.56 meters. Half a meter longer than a Clio! Where the Arkana cannot create illusions is in the interior furniture and engines. As the Austral is built on a higher platform, it can include a 200 hp hybrid unit. Both may be SUVs intended for families, so they are not supposed to box in the same category, especially since the Austral is more expensive. However, since the arrival of the Austral, the Arkana has marked time.
Since the restyling, Renault has reduced the size. Today, only the 140 hp microhybrid gasoline unit and the 145 hp hybrid are in the catalog, all spread over three finishes. But with an entry ticket of €32,300 for an automatic transmission with an already generous list of equipment, the Arkana remains attractive, especially compared to a less family-friendly Captur. In addition, it is a safe bet that good deals should be legion next year on the Arkana which will slowly approach the end of its life with us.
Falling sales
By 2024, sales of the Arkana have plunged by more than 30%. While waiting for the final figures for December, it is clear that the SUV will no longer return to the form it had in 2022 and 2023. Around 30,000 Arkanas should be sold this year in France, half as many as at the peak of the SUV’s career. The Austral is also marking time in 2024 but to a lesser extent, and especially in a sluggish market. For the Arkana, it will therefore have a sportier profile than the Austral and better priced prices, but since more and more vehicles are financed through leasing in France, the difference in rent is probably less than in price. frontal. In favor of the Austral, therefore.
