Russians: the Renault Arkana is your discount BMW X6

Renault, a French car company, has made a coupe-crossover – a German idea – for the Russian market. Atlases at the ready, geography fans.

Clearly, what we’ve got here is a car in the mould of a BMW X6 or Mercedes GLE Coupe. Renault calls it the Arkana, and says it “proposes an astonishing balance between the elegance of a saloon and the sturdiness of an SUV”. That’s right: astonishing.

The Arkana will be built in Russia, and is intended to boost Renault’s booming sales there by taking on the country’s gnarly winters in a sturdy and dependable way. Renault says “robustness is expressed through high ground clearance, wide wheel arches and large 19-inch wheels, for good all-terrain capabilities”. Four-wheel drive or bearskin seats are not mentioned anywhere in the blurb.

Though the Arkana will eventually find homes all across Asia, it’s definitely not bound for Europe, says the company. Purveyors of used BMW X4s, rest easy.