2023 Renault Austral name confirmed as Kadjar successor

UPDATE: Renault has confirmed the successor to the Kadjar will be named Austral. Catch up on the Austral story at our link below.

The story to here

October 12, 2021: The new Kadjar is now expected to be known instead as the Renault Austral. You can read about it here.

Spy photographers have caught the next-generation Renault Kadjar out in the wild in Spain, offering us our first look inside the mid-size SUV as it readies to launch in 2022.

Interior photos taken while the prototype was parked reveal how the new Kadjar might compare to the new-gen Nissan Qashqai, a car it will be closely related to on a shared CMF-C platform.

The presence of a six-speed manual transmission lever implies this prototype could be packing the mild-hybrid 1.3-litre petrol powertrain from the next Qashqai, which will offer 103kW/240Nm or 116kW/260Nm through a six-speed manual.

4

Although Renault's test drivers have concealed most of the dash and door trim, we can tell the Kadjar successor's interior will be different in overall layout and styling to the incoming Qashqai's.

An extra-large tablet screen laid vertically on the centre console is joined by a digital cluster behind the steering wheel, hinting at a strong focus on driver infotainment technology.

Meanwhile, the metal-look HVAC buttons aligned in a row underneath the central tablet suggest a sleek, upgraded design. The D-shape steering wheel looks similar to the current generation Kadjar's, but lacquered spoke inserts, matching trim elements elsewhere, implies ambience will also be improved.

4

Exterior-wise, slits in the extensive camouflage up front reveal the stare of LED-style headlamps, but it's hard to discern anything else. However, the prototype's high-profile tyres and small wheels suggest we might be looking at something close to a base level trim.

Expect to learn more about the Kadjar's successor as we approach its expected launch in the middle of 2022. Renault would not comment on on the photos, or whether Australia is being considered as a potential market.

The Spanish-built current model went on sale in Australia only in 2019, almost four years after its European debut, and was replaced by the South-Korean sourced Arkana mid-way through 2021.

4

Since arriving, both nameplates have faced a competitive mid-size SUV segment, with the Arkana moving 97 units in 2021 until October and the Kadjar selling 500 in 2020 before being replaced.

*This article incorrectly stated the Arkana had sold 45 units so far in 2021 and the Kadjar sold 53 in 2020, and has been updated for accuracy