Renault's electric Megane will debut new digital cockpit

The battery-powered Renault Megane E will be "one of the most competitive electric cars in the world" when it arrives in the first half of next year, CEO Luca de Meo said.

The compact EV will be the first Renault on the market built on the automaker's new CMF-EV architecture developed with alliance partner Nissan and the first model to be fitted with the automaker's new L-shaped digital dashboard and cockpit.

Teaser photos released by Renault show a high-tech interior design inspired by dashboards used in Renault concept cars such as 2020's Morphoz.

The interior styling will be used in other new Renaults, the automaker's design chief, Gilles Vidal, said during an online presentation on Thursday.

"You will see substantial changes to [Renault] interiors starting with the new Megane E," he said.

De Meo said during the presentation: "It's the first product of a new era for the brand. It looks good and drives fantastically. We are bullish about the product."

The screen will incorporate Google Cloud services under an agreement between Renault and the U.S. technology company announced last year. The new version of the Kadjar compact SUV, expected next year, will also use the services, de Meo said.

The screen includes a "hidden" air vent that allows Renault to present a near seamless transition between the driver's display and the central infotainment screen.

Vidal also showed a rearview picture of the Megane E depicting the use of a 'coast-to-coast' light strip joining the two rear lamps. The strip is punctuated by a redesigned version of Renault's lozenge logo.

The car is designed to feel large inside, Vidal said. "We worked a lot on storage and practically in order to enhance that physical experience [of space]' he said. "The EV platform will help us."

The Megane E will compete with cars such as the VW ID4 SUV and expand Renault's EV offering into a bigger segment. Currently Renault sells the Zoe small electric hatchback and a battery-powered version of its Twingo minicar.

Renault's Dacia brand is also about to start sales in Europe of the Spring EV minicar.

The Megane E was previewed by the Megane eVision concept in October, which de Meo said was 95 percent of what the Megane E would look like. The car had a 217 hp electric motor. The CMF-EV platform can be fitted with 40 kilowatt-hour, 60kWh or 87kWh battery pack, which will be supplied by LG Chem. With a 60 kWh battery, the range is 450 km (280 miles), Renault said.

The CMF-EV platform will also underpin the Nissan Ariya SUV, which goes on sale in Europe at the end of the year.

The Megane E is expected to be unveiled at the IAA in Munich in September.