Renault's new SUV will be called the Kadjar when it goes on sale later this year

The Kadjar fits into the Renault range above the smaller Captur and below the latest generation of Espace.

Renault says that the first part of the name is inspired by the word 'quad', representing a go-anywhere four-wheeled vehicle, suggesting that the Kadjar will be offered with four-wheel drive.

The second part of the name is said to be inspired by the French words 'agile' (agility) and 'jaillir', which Renault explains as meaning 'to suddenly emerge from somewhere.'

Renault is posting pictures and videos relating to the new Kadjar every day on social media until the car is revealed on 2 February. The pictures are not expected to show the actual car until that date.

Autocar UK understands the new model is based heavily on the new Nissan Qashqai, thanks to the alliance between the two companies. It is understood to share the same architecture and most of the powertrains.

Like the Qashqai, the new model will be built on Renault-Nissan's Common Module Family platform. Announced in June last year, the CMF architecture will eventually be used to underpin 14 models across firms' ranges.

Renault design boss Laurens van den Acker described the new car as being developed “in strong collaboration with Nissan, but with a careful eye on not taking anything away from either side”.

He also hinted that the new SUV will be styled along the lines of the successful Renault Captur compact SUV. “Conceptually, this car will not challenge conventions,” he said. “We want to hit the same sweet spot of head and heart that we did with the Captur.”

The model will be revealed to the public at the Geneva motor show in March, before going on sale later this year.