Renault's new midsized SUV is Symbioz

Renault has announced the name of its new C-segment midsized family SUV: Symbioz. The name is borrowed from the French word ‘symbiose’, derived from the ancient Greek ‘symbiosis’, meaning ‘living together’. It is a word that is similar in many languages: ‘symbiosis’ in English, ‘simbiose’ in Spanish and ‘simbiosi’ in Italian, making the name Symbioz easy to understand for a wide audience.

Sylvia Dos Santos, Head of Naming Strategy, Renault Marketing Division, said: “For this new compact family car, we wanted a name with human significance, expressing the close bond between a family and their car. The name Symbioz perfectly illustrates life with our vehicle, a place where passengers are as one with their vehicle and the environment.”

The Renault Symbioz features the new brand design and is the most compact hybrid in Renault’s C-segment range, measuring 4.41 metres long. The new crossover is understood to be only slightly larger than the Clio-based Captur. The new SUV’s interior is designed to provide all that a family requires, offering generous amounts of space and loading capacity.

The Symbioz will likely be based on the same CMF-B architecture as the Captur and will be offered with an E-Tech full-hybrid powertrain with 143bhp - the same as the engine that drives the current Renault Clio E-Tech hybrid. The use of this advanced drivetrain should ensure increased driving enjoyment and lower fuel consumption.

The Symbioz's platform should also enable it to offer the same choice of full- and plug-in hybrid powertrains while potentially paving the way for a pure-electric derivative further down the line, based on CMF-BEV platform (now known as Ampr Small).

The Symbioz, which weighs under 1,500kg, will have the new-generation Solarbay panoramic glass roof, which turns opaque at the flick of a switch, and the E-Tech full hybrid 145hp engine.