The Renault Arkana is a

compact crossover SUV Compact crossover SUV is an automobile classification used mainly in North America to describe a segment of crossover SUV, a type of sport utility vehicle, between subcompact crossover SUV and mid-size crossover SUV. By late 2010s, the segment ...

(

C-segment The C-segment is the 3rd category of the European segments for passenger cars and is described as "medium cars". It is equivalent to the Euro NCAP "small family car" size class, and the compact car category in the United States. In 2011, the C- ...

) with a sloping rear roofline produced by the French manufacturer

Renault Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English; legally Renault S.A.) is a French multinational automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company produces a range of cars and vans, and in the past has manufacture ...

. The car debuted in May 2019 in Russia as a car based on the older Dacia/Renault Duster B0 platform. Another separate version of the vehicle was introduced in South Korea in February 2020 as the Renault Samsung XM3 (Renault XM3 since 2022), and is based on a more advanced CMF-B platform. The latter version of the Arkana was later introduced in core European market in September 2020. Renault stated the name "Arkana" derives from the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

''arcanum'', meaning secret.

Design

The Renault Arkana's interior is laid out in a similar way to the cabins in the Renault Zoe and Clio. There's a pronounced centre console with three heating and ventilation controls ahead of the gear selector, and a digital driver's display behind the steering wheel. This screen measures 4.2, 7.0 or 10.2 inches, depending on which model you pick, and is joined by a 7.0- or 9.3-inch portrait central touchscreen. The Renault Arkana is the brand's first coupé SUV and is available as a hybrid from the outset.

Versions

LJC

Russia

The Arkana debuted in Russia in May 2019. For the Russian market, it is assembled by

Renault Russia Renault Russia ( rus, Рено Россия, Reno Rossiya, rʲɪˈno rɐˈsʲijə), known until 2014 as Avtoframos ( rus, Автофрамос, Avtoframos), was a Russian automotive company established in 1998 by the Moscow city and Renault. It wa ...

at its

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...

plant and its unveiling took place at the 2018

Moscow International Automobile Salon The Moscow International Automobile Salon or MIAS (russian: Московский Международный Автомобильный Салон) is the biennial auto show held at Crocus Expo in Moscow, Russia. The show is scheduled by the Organi ...

through a near-production

showcar A show car, sometimes called a dream car, is a custom-made automobile created specifically for public display, rather than sale. They are shown at auto shows and other exhibitions. Show cars can either come from car companies or from private indi ...

. The car has a

coupe A coupe or coupé (, ) is a passenger car with a sloping or truncated rear roofline and two doors. The term ''coupé'' was first applied to horse-drawn carriages for two passengers without rear-facing seats. It comes from the French past parti ...

-like styling. The Russian Arkana is built on the Renault B0+ platform, a heavily revised variant of the B0 platform used by models such as the Kaptur and the Duster. The Russian model is using the 1.3-litre turbo petrol engine paired with Jatco CVT8 transmission.

Kazakhstan

Assembly in neighboring

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...

began in 2021 at SaryarkaAvtoProm plant (

Kostanay Kostanay ( kz, Қостанай, Qostanai ) is a city located on the Tobol River in northern Kazakhstan. It was known as Nikolayevsk (russian: Николаевск) until 1895 and then as Kustanay (russian: Кустанай) until 1997. Kostanay ...

), through a partnership between Renault and the Allur Group.

LJL

South Korea

The car was launched in South Korea as the Renault Samsung XM3. Instead of riding above the B0 platform like the Russian Arkana, the XM3 uses the modular platform CMF-B and is related to the second-generation

Renault Captur The Renault Captur (pronounced as "capture") is a series of subcompact crossover SUVs manufactured by the French automaker Renault. The production version of the first one, based on the B platform, made its debut at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show and ...

. The XM3 is also purely a front-wheel drive car unlike its B0-based counterpart. The CMF-based variant is 25 mm longer than the B0-based Arkana sold in Russia. The South Korean model has two engine option either the 1.3-litre turbo petrol engine with 7-speed EDC gearbox or 1.6-litre petrol engine with Jatco CVT7 transmission. File:00 samsung xm3 1.jpg, Renault Samsung XM3 (South Korea) File:00 samsung xm3 2.jpg, Renault Samsung XM3 (South Korea)

Europe

In September 2020, the rebadged version of South Korean-made Samsung XM3 was also launched in Western and Central Europe markets as the Renault Arkana. It is introduced in former

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...

n countries as the Renault Mégane Conquest, as its original name may be associated with Željko Ražnatović

Arkan Željko Ražnatović (, ; 17 April 1952 – 15 January 2000), better known as Arkan (), was a Serbian mobster, politician, sports administrator, paramilitary commander and head of the Serb paramilitary force called the Serb Volunteer Guard duri ...

, the late Serbian criminal, politician and paramilitary commander during the

Yugoslav Wars The Yugoslav Wars were a series of separate but related Naimark (2003), p. xvii. ethnic conflicts, wars of independence, and insurgencies that took place in the SFR Yugoslavia from 1991 to 2001. The conflicts both led up to and resulted from ...

who was accused of numerous war crimes. The European model is equipped with a mild hybrid 1.3-litre turbo petrol engine paired with the 7-speed EDC gearbox.

Sales

XM3 Inspire

show car A show car, sometimes called a dream car, is a custom-made automobile created specifically for public display, rather than sale. They are shown at auto shows and other exhibitions. Show cars can either come from car companies or from private indivi ...

based on the Arkana, the XM3 Inspire, was introduced by Renault subsidiary

Renault Samsung Motors Renault Korea Motors ( ko, 르노코리아자동차), is a South Korean car manufacturer headquartered in Busan where its single assembly site is also located, with additional facilities at Seoul (administration), Giheung (research and developm ...

and unveiled at the 2019 Seoul Motor Show. The main differences with the Arkana are a redesigned front grille, a different colour scheme and a revised bodywork.

References

{{Renault Samsung timeline Arkana Cars introduced in 2019 2020s cars Compact sport utility vehicles Crossover sport utility vehicles Front-wheel-drive vehicles All-wheel-drive vehicles Hybrid electric cars Plug-in hybrid vehicles Partial zero-emissions vehicles Vehicles with CVT transmission