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RAFALE: A TIME-HONOURED NAME FOR THE RENAULT BRAND’S NEW FLAGSHIP COUPE SUV
Renault has unveiled the name of its future top-of-the-range coupe SUV: Rafale.
It completes the line-up of vehicles powered by E-Tech hybrid engines and will be built on the CMF-CD platform, following on from the 5 seater Austral and the 5 or 7 seater Espace SUV. The Rafale is Renault’s next highlight and will boost its offensive in the D segment.
The name of the model comes from Renault’s celebrated past in the air, a connection dating back to the early 20th century. At the time Renault was a pioneering manufacturer of combustion engines for cars, as well as for trains and planes. In 1933 Renault took over Caudron, another manufacturer, and established Caudron-Renault. All the planes were named after a notable wind. Accordingly, the C460, a single seater racing plane engineered to break records, was renamed Rafale in 1934.
Renault is reconnecting with this part of its history and harnessing the legendary Caudron Rafale’s features in their new high-end car. The semantics point to wind and capture something about its camouflaged silhouette, which instantly conjures up visions of performance, daring, excitement and character.
The All-New Renault Rafale will see its world premier take place this weekend (8th June) at the 54th Paris Air Show in Le Bourget.