So goes one of the shortest-lived cars in Australian automotive history.
The Renault Kadjar has officially been discontinued after just over 12 months on sale.
No stock is remaining, with Renault selling zero examples in January 2021.
The Kadjar was originally set to be discontinued in the second half of this year, at which time the new Arkana coupe crossover would launch.
The Arkana is still on track, but the Kadjar has sold out faster than anticipated.
Fortunately for Renault, it won’t be without a sub-Koleos SUV for long.
The new, larger Captur is set to launch in the coming months. Renault Australia has confirmed pricing and specs will be detailed later this month, with test drives to be offered from March and first customer deliveries arriving in April.
At 4228mm long, 1797mm wide and 1566mm tall, with a 2639mm wheelbase, the new Captur is a considerable 106mm longer, 16mm wider, and 33mm longer between the wheels than the model it replaces.
It shares its CMF-B platform with the recently redesigned Nissan Juke.
The Spanish-built Kadjar used the larger CMF-CD platform of the Nissan Qashqai, and served as Renault’s rival to the likes of the Mazda CX-30.
Renault sold 132 examples in 2019, with its first full year on sale netting 500 sales.
That put it below the likes of the Jeep Compass (771 sales in 2020) and Suzuki S-Cross (523 sales), though it outsold the Fiat 500X (85 sales).
The Qashqai, in contrast, registered 7057 sales. The gap was narrower in Europe, with 135,829 Qashqai sales and 63,685 Kadjar sales recorded in 2020.
Available only with front-wheel drive and in Life, Zen and Intens trim levels, the Kadjar was powered by a turbocharged 1.3-litre four-cylinder engine producing 117kW of power and 260Nm of torque and mated to either a six-speed manual or seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.
The same 1.3-litre and dual-clutch auto will feature in the new Captur, while the Arkana has also been confirmed to use a turbocharged 1.3-litre.
The Arkana will give Renault a unique selling point in the mainstream small SUV segment, offering a coupe crossover body style that’s traditionally been the domain of more expensive German luxury models.
Like the larger Koleos, the Arkana is built by Renault Samsung in Korea.
That should make it cheaper to source for Australia than the Kadjar, which will still live to see a second generation in Europe.
Though the Kadjar name was officially said to be a portmanteau of quad, for four-wheel drive, and jaillir, which means to spring into action, a more likely explanation was it was named for the Iranian dynasty of Qajar.
The then-Shah of Qajar Iran, Mozaffar ad-Din, reportedly imported the first two automobiles in his country, both of which were Renaults.
The name choice is fitting, as its Nissan Qashqai platform-mate was named for a nomadic people in Iran.
