Having had a Megane E-Tech on evaluation, the local distributor has pulled the plug on putting it on sale… for now.

RENAULT’S national distributor has u-turned on intent to imminently release the Megane E-Tech, a car tasked with re-energising the make’s electric vehicle involvement here.

Has the landmark model become a victim of the new Government’s intent to withdraw the Clean Car electric vehicle incentives? That is the conclusion reached by electric vehicle fans given a heads up today. Pricing impasse might also come into it; Megane E-Tech has been described by its maker as being a high-end product. Comment has been sought from distributor Global Motors New Zealand.

A letter has gone to potential Megane E-Tech customers, who for some time have been invited to signal interest in the car via make’s national webpage. That pitch now seems absent.

Shared to an electric vehicles owners’ Facebook page, the letter does not suggest the medium-sized five seater sports utility will never come here, but advises that this is not the right time for it.

“There has been a huge level of interest in the Megane E-Tech,” it begins.

“We wanted to update you on its expected arrival time in New Zealand.

“We planned to launch this model early in 2024, but have since decided it is not the right time to bring it into the country.

“This has been a difficult decision to make as we know Megane E-Tech is a significant milestone for Renault.

“At this stage, we don’t have a date for the model’s arrival - we’ll get in touch if the situation changes.”

Renault here had not indicated a local market price for Megane E-Tech, but has always made clear that Clean Car was important to it and the factory.

The scheme puts $7015 toward the purchase price of any new electric selling for less than $80,000. The assistance is still in play, but is expected to be pulled on December 31, if not earlier.

Global Motors has at least one E-Tech here. In May it secured an evaluation model for a factory-required trial to ensure its impressive span of crash avoidance software was foible-free in NZ conditions.

At that time, GMNZ general manager Scott Kelsey explained this was a per functionary last detail before full scale shipment.

Renault NZ had been watching the electric sales revolution from the side line since dropping the Zoe in early 2022 due to a crash test embarrassment.

Megane E-Tech was seen as a clean slate restart and a whole new opportunity. 

Renault’s first mainstream family car to go fully electric is built atop the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance's latest CMF-EV dedicated electric platform.

It also divests historic hatchback styling to reinterpret as an avant garde sports utility and is packed with fresh technology, including a new 'ultra-thin' battery. 

When Kelsey spoke earlier this year, he expressed that Megane E-Tech wassn’t the only car on Renault NZ’s mind. 

There was also desire to add Austral, a second battery hatch which sits between the Captur and Koleos, has much the same styling as the Megane e-Tech and dedicates to electrified powertrains, including a new 1.2-litre petrol engine with a 48V mild-hybrid system.

“That’s a product we definitely want to have in our market,” Kelsey said on April 26.

“There’s some potential of working Renault Australia on this one. “They are a little bit behind us and have slightly different requirements.”

Kelsey acknowledged then that his operation and France was giving attention to how much influence Clean Car might have on strategy.

Nonetheless, he explained there was enthusiasm to rewire New Zealand involvement into a global electric strategy Renault is now committed to, a year on from when it felt a nasty jolt when Zoe was pulled. 

Megane E-Tech is far more advanced than Zoe, particularly in respect to accident mitigation assists. Standard systems include distance warning alert, traffic-sign recognition, automatic emergency braking with junction assist including pedestrian and cyclist alerts, cruise control with speed limiter, driver drowsiness alert, emergency lane keeping assist with oncoming traffic and road-edge detection and hill start assist.

Securing the car has required patience. Right-hand drive production started in 2022 but was hindered by the semiconductor shortage and other factors.

Megane E-Tech provisions with 40kWh and 60kWh battery packs, with the bigger of those two claiming a WLTP-tested driving range of 450 kilometres and making 164kW (whereas the smaller creates 97kW and will clock 300kms between charges).

When Renault says an ultra-thin battery, they’re not talking single sheet of paper. Yet at just 110mm thick, it is a landmark, being 40 percent thinner than the unit in Zoe, yet it offers 20 percent greater energy density. 

Another green edge is that the Megane's motors are electrically excited, meaning they have no magnets and use no rare-earth metals. They're also more efficient than induction motors at high speed. 

The battery is low in cobalt, which is the most expensive material used in batteries and has also been called the “blood diamond of batteries” because it’s been mined in a way that imperils child workers and wrecked the environment in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

This is the second use of the 'CMF-EV' platform; Nissan had first dibs with the Ariya SUV also expected to show here in 2024 to replace the current Leaf, though that model now also has a successor in the works.

Though classified as a SUV, Megane E-Tech is effectively an 'inflated' hatchback shape sitting on big (up to 20-inch) alloy wheels. Renault has taken opportunity to get all fancy with the lights; the front LEDs have complex laser-cut 3D textures while the brake lights are two vertical strips, 'like a pause sign', the brand says. Smooth body surfacing, including flush-fit door handles, enables a drag coefficient of 0.29.

The cabin debuts a new 'Open-R' infotainment system, powered by Google's Android Automotive operating system, and offering satellite navigation, over-the-air updates and various Google services. Entry models have a nine inch centre screen, the more expensive ones go to a 12 inch. 

Other interior features include 48-colour ambient lighting that can change colour every 30 minutes for a "living" feel, and a selection of sustainably-sourced wood, Alcantara suede and textile trims for the dashboard, seats and other interior elements.