[size=x-large]Renault says Talisman sedan has 'racy' design, innovative technologies[/size]
Bruce Gain
Automotive News Europe
July 6, 2015 08:28 CET
Renault says its new Talisman midsize car has robust and racy lines and delivers "intense driving enjoyment."
The Talisman, which replaces the slow-selling Laguna and Latitude cars, will have a key role in taking the Renault brand upmarket by offering near-premium features.
Renault said in a statement that the car will offer innovative safety technologies but did not disclose any other information ahead of the model's unveiling in Paris later today.
The Talisman will compete in Europe against models such as the Volkswagen Passat and Ford Mondeo.
Reports in the motoring press said the Talisman will have equipment such as full LED headlights, a semi-autonomous parking system and four-wheel steering, all also offered on the recently launched Espace large minivan.
The Talisman will have its public debut at the Frankfurt auto show in September. It will be sold with sedan and station wagon variants but there will be no coupe to replace the Laguna coupe.
The Talisman will be built in Renault's factory in Douai, France, alongside the Espace. Like the Espace, it is underpinned by Renault-Nissan's new CMF-CD architecture.
Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn told an analysts conference on Feb. 12 that the Talisman’s use of the automaker's CMF platform will give the company a scale advantage that "will fix our recurring profitability issues in the D [midsize] segment where we did not achieve a satisfying return on our current models."
European sales of the Laguna in the first five months were 5,167, according to JATO Dynamics market researchers. The company sold just 58 Latitudes. By contrast, VW sold 89,396 units of the Passat, Europe’s best-selling volume midsize model.
Renault is expected to make 40,189 units of the Talisman during its first full year of production, according to research firm Inovev. The Talisman will be a classic sedan to complement the Espace and the upcoming Koleos crossover/SUV in the midsize market, Jamel Taganza, an analyst for Inovev, said.
European sales of midsize cars fell 41 percent to 542,511 last year, according to JATO Dynamics. The Laguna was the segment’s No. 10 seller with a volume of 15,013, down 7 percent, excluding the coupe version, whose sales fell 39 percent to 900 units. Renault sold just 508 Latitudes in Europe last year, down from 604.
The Talisman will not be sold in the UK and Ireland where there is low demand for midsize cars from mass-market brands.
French press reports said the Talisman sedan will start at 27,000 euros with the wagon version costing 2,000 euros more.
Renault is unifying is the badges of its midsize models across its global markets. The brand already uses the Talisman name for a sedan sold in China.
