► Filante revealed as Renault’s new flagship SUV
► Uses a Geely platform and boasts a number of Renault ‘firsts’
► But it won’t be coming to Europe
Renault is looking to expand its international footprint with the reveal of the new Filante – a new high-end hybrid SUV that has been specifically designed for regions outside of Europe.
Unveiled in South Korea, where it will be produced and launched first, the Filante doesn’t look dissimilar from the BMW XM from the side profile and rear seats.
It’s the fifth model in Renault’s ‘International Game Plan 2027′, first announced in 2023, that aims to see it expand from being largely seen as a European brand into growing regions such as Latin America, India, Turkey, South Korea and Morocco.
Bold, isn’t it? And that’s what Renault says it needs if it’s to conquer the high-end E-Segment where the Filante sits. Looking like a stretched version of the Renault Rafale, from various angles it looks like a BMW XM – such as its side profile with a long, flowing roofline.
Renault calls it a crossover between a saloon and an SUV (we’re not so sure), with a front grille that’s rather different to anything else from the French firm. The illuminated 3D structure is based on Renault’s diamond logo, with a gradient finish from body colour on upper sections to gloss black lower down.
Moving to the rear, it’s headlined by a spoiler while the Esprit Alpine launch version gets a part black tailgate. It’s a big old thing, too, measuring 4,915mm long, 1,890mm wide and 1,635mm tall, and making it Renault’s largest car.
The interior is also quite fancy compared to everything else Renault has in its line-up, with a cabin dominated by three 12.3-inch touchscreens (an instrument cluster, main screen and passenger display) and also gets a 25.6-inch augmented reality head-up display.
There’s a new four-spoke steering wheel and ‘lounge’ seats made from a lookalike leather material, with integrated headrests and an the metal surround on the front seatbacks making them look a lot like those in the BMW XM, too.
New aids available for the first time in a Renault include an emergency steering function, digital rear-view mirror that means the Filante doesn’t need a rear wiper (supposedly) and a child presence detection.
The Filante is based on an adapted version of Geely’s CMA platform, as seen on models such as the Volvo XC40 and Polestar 2.
Powering the Filante is a 1.5-litre petrol engine paired to twin electric motors to produce 247bhp. It’s a self-charging setup, too, designed for countries where charging infrastructure is currently more limited. Renault says it uses ’50 per cent less fuel in real use than an equivalent non-hybrid petrol engine’.
Filante has existed various points throughout Renault’s past. The Étoile Filante was a land-speed record car from the 1950s, with Renault reviving the name for another record car in 2025, only this time it was targeting efficiency with an electric concept car.
It also had a place in the 1930s as a symbol on Renault’s top-spec models, so it’s somewhat surprising that the name has now returned on a definitely-not-aerodynamic hybrid SUV.
While Renault is often considered as primarily a European carmaker, the French firm is keen to expand its international footprint in emerging markets where growing car uptake presents a huge opportunity.
Dedicated to five main regions (Latin America, North Africa, Turkey, India and South Korea), back in 2023 Renault announced it would create eight new models for regions outside Europe, with five of these being in the larger and more profitable C- and D-segments.
The Filante arrives as the fifth and follows on from:
New cars editor, car reviewer, news hound, avid car detailer
By Ted Welford
New cars editor for CAR and Parkers. Loves a car auction. Enjoys making things shiny