Renault?s Koleos SUV is to return to the UK market following the unveiling of an all-new version at the Beijing Motor Show in China.
A Koleos model was first launched in 2008 but withdrawn from the UK market in 2010 after poor sales of less than 3,000 units.
Globally, however the car has sold more than 300,000, in excess of 70 per cent of these outside Europe and 135,000 in China alone, hence the venue for the unveiling of the new model.
The new Koleos is intended to complete a three-strong halo line-up for Renault, the others being the Espace crossover and Talisman large saloon and estate cars. Unlike the Espace and Talisman, however, the Koleos will be sold in the UK, reflecting the current appetite for SUVs among British buyers.
The new version uses the same Alliance CMF-C/D architecture as the crossover market signature vehicle from Renault?s sister Nissan brand, the Qashqai. The same platform is also employed under the Renault Espace, Talisman and Kadjar, and Nissan?s X-Trail/Rogue, and Renault says that under the skin the vehicles are mechanically similar. Koleos models will first go on sale in Australia, Turkey, the Gulf states and some Latin American countries, followed by China at the end of 2016. Sales in Russia and Europe, including the UK, will commence in early 2017, and UK specifications are yet to be revealed, as is whether the full four-strong engine line-up will be available to buyers in Britain.
These engines comprise two petrol and two diesel units with...