And on the next January 13th, Renault will unveil a premium SUV with which it intends to compete against offerings from brands such as BMW, Mercedes, or Genesis (the luxury division of Hyundai). Named Filante, it is the second new model that the Billancourt brand will launch as part of its “International Game Plan 2027” strategy, aimed at international expansion into markets outside of Europe – which means, right away, that it will not be sold on the Old Continent.
The name comes from both the Etoile Filante of 1956, a single-seater inspired by aviation, with a polyester body of (very) avant-garde design for the time, and powered by a turbine capable of delivering 270 hp/28,000 rpm, created to break speed records – and it did, on the Bonneville track in Salt Lake City, in the state of Utah, USA, achieving records for 1 km, 1 mile, and 5 km traveled at an average speed exceeding 300 km/h (306.9 km/h, 307.707 km/h, and 308.85 km/h, respectively). Also from the extremely aerodynamic and lightweight (1000 kg) Filante Record prototype of 2025, which, with Nicolas Prost, son of the four-time Formula 1 World Champion Alain Prost, at the wheel, managed to cover 1008 km at an average speed of 102 km/h on a single charge of a battery similar to that installed in the fully electric Scénic E-Tech, with a capacity of 87 kWh, in this case intended to power a 40 hp motor.
However, as illustrious as their namesakes may be, the mission of the Filante of 2025 is substantially different from theirs: to carve out a place in the sun in a region of the globe where the segments known as D and E are highly popular. Developed under the long-standing partnership that the diamond brand maintains with Samsung, it was designed and engineered in South Korea, where it will also be produced, at the Bosun factory (the same one where the Renault Samsung Grand Koleos is manufactured, the third generation of the SUV previously known as QM5 and QM6, which, on European soil, simply as Koleos, has not seen more than the first two generations), and this will also be the country where it will have its commercial debut, before being sold in other markets in the region.
It is also worth noting that these Renaults manufactured on South Korean soil, which have the Geely Xingyue L as an almost “twin,” do not rest on a platform from the French manufacturer, but rather on the CMA architecture of the Chinese giant, developed in collaboration with Volvo, and currently used by the XC40. All indications point to this being the base for the Filante as well, which should also share the range of four-cylinder inline engines, both gasoline and hybrids, with the Grand Koleos.
In the only image, for now, revealed of the Filante, in which the SUV appears shrouded in dense fog, it is not only impossible to visualize the vehicle in detail, but no technical details about it have been disclosed. However, it is understood that its silhouette is long, relatively low, and tapered, with a prominent front, daytime running lights similar to those introduced by the latest generation of the Clio, a roofline with a pronounced drop towards the rear, and a rear section where the taillights also evoke Renault’s current stylistic language.
On the other hand, assuming that its destination is the E-SUV segment, and that it will have rivals with an unequivocal reputation, it is believed that the Filante will exhibit an exterior length close to five meters, which, if confirmed, will certainly translate into a spaciousness, particularly in the rear seats. Ultimately, alongside the body design, the interior is where Renault’s expertise will most likely be felt, whether through the adoption of high-quality materials or by utilizing its latest solutions in the realm of digitalization and infotainment.
It is worth remembering that the “International Game Plan 2027” represents for Renault an investment of around three billion euros, aimed at the development and launch, within a twelve-month period, of eight new models (five of which are intended for segments C and D) capable of making the French manufacturer, by 2027, a significant player in the segments that create the most value in the markets outside of Europe where it is present – and it aims for, within the same timeframe, one in every three cars it sells to be electric or hybrid. To achieve this, alongside Geely’s CMA platform, a new flexible and multi-energy platform from Renault itself will be used for the proposals aimed at Latin America, North Africa, Turkey, and India, such as the compact SUV Kardian, the first member of the new family of models, initially launched, precisely, in Latin America. In the end, the goal is that each car sold by Renault outside of Europe, starting in 2027, ensures double the profit that it provided in 2019.
